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LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


Division. ....s^.—' 

Section .<^J^    '       I 


,.,.  ^  lA"  • 


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h^f/r 


THEPASTOR'SBEQUEST, 


THE  PASTOR'S  BEQUEST. 


SELECTIONS 


FROM 


THIil    SER]y£ON^S 


EEV.  HENRY   BACON. 


EDITED   BY 

MRS.   E.   A.   BACON. 


"  A  volume  precious  with  thy  name, 
And  latest  records  —  all  that  love  can  save.' 


BOSTON: 
PUBLISHED  BY  ABEL   TOMPKINS. 

38  &  40  CORNHILL. 

1857. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  3'ear  1857, 

BY   MRS.  E.  A.  BACON, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


Bazin  &  Chandt-kr,   Pbiktxbs, 
37  CornhiU. 


TO 

S^lje   WinibtxsRlUt    ^acittitB 

IN 

EAST    CAMBRIDGE,    HAVERHILL,    MARBLEHEAD,   PROVIDENCE 
AND    PHILADELPHIA, 

OF  WHICH 

MR.  BACON   WAS  PASTOE, 
THIS  VOLUME 

IS  RESPECTFULLY  AND  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


PREFACE 


The  following  Sermons  are  presented  to  the  reader 
as  the  last  work  of  the  author,  and  as  a  memorial  of 
his  ministry.  Unaccomplished  though  the  work  may- 
have  seemed,  when  no  guide  was  left  for  its  arrange- 
ment, save  a  Prospectus  dictated  when  the  sands  of 
life  were  running  low,  and  a  list  of  about  half  the 
contents  found  among  his  papers,  his  choice  of  sub- 
jects decided  the  tone  and  spirit  of  the  book,  and  has 
been  my  guide  in  completing  it. 

Those  who  were  interested  in  his  life  and  labors 
may  receive  this  volume  as  an  interpreter  of  his 
thoughts  on  life  and  duty,  his  cheerful  views  of  death 
and  his  unclouded  hope  of  immortality. 

Continually  "  looking  unto  Jesus  the  author  and 
finisher  of  our  faith,"  a  peculiar  tone  was  imparted  to 
his  ministry ;  and  one  has  truly  said,  "  He  was  not  a 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

theological  or  a  reformatory  preacher,  though  the- 
ology and  reform  were  a  large  staple  of  his  material ; 
but  he  was  eminently  a  '  spiritual  preacher ;'  one 
whose  religious  life  underlies,  forms,  colors  and  per- 
meates all  his  opinions  and  forms  of  utterance." 

May  those  who  once  received  the  Gospel  in  its  ful- 
ness from  his  living  voice,  accept  these  gleanings  from 
the  harvest  of  thought  that  he  has  left,  as  peculiarly 

their  heritage. 

E.  A,  B. 
May,  185T. 


CONTENTS 


I.    The  Golden  Rule  Vitalized 13 

11.    Unwasting  Power 23 

III.  Young  America 31 

IV.  No  Sympathy  among  the  Guilty 41 

V.    Spiritual  Relationship 60 

VI.    Invisible  Benefactors 59 

Vn.    Labor  the  Price  of  Excellence 68 

VIII.    The  Battle  of  Thought 78 

IX.    Law  of  Liberty 85 

X.    Belief  is  a  Work 94 

XL    Jesus  the  Son  of  God 102 

Xn.    Christ  made  a  Phantom 110 

XIII.  Unbelief  Helped 122 

XIV.  Personating  Jesus 131 

XV.    The  Silence  of  Jesus 139 


X  CONTENTS. 

XVI.  Immortality  not  Incredible 150 

XVII.  Immortality  Revealed 161 

XVIII.  Palm  Sunday 176 

XIX.  The  Greatness  of  Charity 188 

XX.  The  Resurrection  of  Christ 200 

XXI.  Unclouded  Glory  of  the  Resurrection.  .210 

XXII.  Life  a  Cloud 219 

XXIII.  Hidden  Life 230 

XXIV.  The  Great  City 237 

XXV.  Present  Privileges  of  the  Christian 250 

XXVI.  Go  Home  to  thy  Friends 257 

XXVII.  Visitations  of  God 265 

XXVIIL  Prayer 278 

XXIX.  The  Minuteness  of  Divine  Providence.  .  .286 

XXX.  Forgiveness 295 

XXXI.  Christian  Law  of  Use 306 

XXXII.  Religion  a  Necessity 316 

XXXIII.  Religion  is  Life 326 

XXXIV.  Imitating  Christ 343 

XXXV.  Reunion 351 


SERMON  I. 


THE  GOLDEN  RULE  VITALIZED. 

Thekefore  all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do 
to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them;  for  this  is  the  law  and  the 
PROPHETS.  —  Matt,  vii:  12. 

This  is  called  the  Golden  Rule,  because  it  embod- 
ies a  principle  of  action  most  precious  in  its  results 
to  society.  It  is  an  indirect  assertion  of  Human 
Brotherhood,  leading  us  beyond  nations,  clans  and 
classes,  to  our  simple  humanity  whatever  its  form  or 
condition.  It  is  an  argument  against  isolation,  nar- 
rowness, selfishness,  and  makes  the  necessity  of 
sympathy  apparent  —  that  sympathy  by  which  we 
make  another's  situation  our  own,  and  thus  discover 
our  duty  to  him.  And  yet  farther:  this  precept 
makes  Christian  duty  a  matter  of  thought,  reflection, 
careful  deduction  from  principles,  so  that  if,  in  any 
given  case,  we  do  not  find  a  precept  made  for  us 
pointing  out  our  duty,  we  can  make  one  for  ourselves. 
This  answers  the  objection  which  some  Christians  have 
to  a  new  form  of  moral  action  when  they  say,  "  tliere 
2 


14  THE   GOLDEN   RULE   VITALIZED. 

is  no  precept  in  the  New  Testament  which  demands 
this."  It  is  unreasonable,  we  answer,  to  suppose  that 
Christianity  goes  no  further  in  its  precepts  than  what 
are  laid  down  in  the  New  Testament.  The  farther 
the  age  of  the  Apostles  extended,  the  more  questions 
came  up,  and  all  of  them  were  answered  by  the  appli- 
cation of  the  vital  principles  of  the  Gospel ;  and  had 
that  age  been  miraculously  continued  to  the  present 
day,  new  precepts  would  have  been  drawn  from  a  like 
application  of  Christian  doctrine  to  Christian  duty  as 
circumstances  and  exigences  required.  So  with  our 
law  books  and  new  questions  in  law. 

It  would  seem  that  every  possible  case  might  be 
covered  by  some  specific  law,  or  decision  of  some 
Court  or  Judge,  but  it  is  not  so.  On  this  ground 
many  a  criminal  escapes ;  many  a  simple  case  is  long 
protracted  by  the  subtleties  of  legal  argument ;  and 
many  an  assumption  of  power  is  made  by  Judge  and 
Jury.  Paley  has  well  said,  ''  had  the  same  particu- 
larity which  obtain  in  human  laws,  so  far  as  they  go, 
been  attempted  in  the  Scriptures,  throughout  the 
whole  extent  of  morality,  it  is  manifest  they  would 
have  been  by  much  too  bulky  to  be  either  read  or  cir- 
culated, or  rather,  as  St.  John  says,  '  even  the  world 
itself  could  not  contain  the  books  that  should  be 
written.' " 

This  is  true,  and  it  should  awaken  us  to  consider 
more  the  culture  demanded  by  Christianity,  that  we 
guard  ourselves  against  that  consei;yatism  which  seems 
to  suppose  that  every  case  of  human  duty  has  been 
legistated  upon  by  either  the  Saviour  or  his  Apostles. 


THE   GOLDEN   RULE   VITALIZED.  15 

The  true  compreliensivencss  of  Christian  duty  is,  to 
be  as  cautious  not  to  refuse  to  apply  great  principles 
to  neiu  questions  of  moral  action,  as  not  to  ivithdraw 
from  the  principles  themselves.  Like  the  mariner  or 
shipmaster,  we  must  not  only  be  careful  that  our 
compass  is  right,  that  the  ship's  course  may  be  cor- 
rectly steered  night  and  day,  but  we  must  also  be 
cautious  that  nothing  be  in  the  way  to  cause  a  local 
derangement  of  the  Magnet,  lest  that  upon  which  we 
depend  for  guidance  should  lead  to  rocks  and  shoals 
and  shipwreck. 

The  text,  then,  must  ever  vindicate  Christianity  as 
a  Religion  of  Culture  — a  Religion  that  prompts  to  a 
perpetual  vigilance  against  the  power  of  custom,  the 
appeal  of  precedent,  and  demanding  of  us  the  moral 
heroism  that  says,  we  will  make  a  precedent  if  there 
is  none,  we  will  be  faithful  to  our  light  though  the 
ages  have  been  blind  ;  for  of  all  the  things  we  would 
have  men  do,  fidelity  to  principle  is  the  most  import- 
ant —  principle  in  its  application  to  present  exigences, 
showing  new  methods  of  progress,  and  opening  new 
discoveries  of  eternal  things. 

Two  things  are  now  to  be  noticed  in  reference  to  the 
text  —  this  Golden  Rule  : — 

First,  in  some  form,  this  precept  is  found  among 
many  nations.  Heathen  and  Jewish.  It  is  one  of 
those  great  ideas  which  appear  to  be  common  property 
of  humanity,  and  in  all  ages  to  witness  to  a  common 
feeling  of  rectitude,  a  universal  sense  of  honor  and 
right.  In  Wetsteins'  Notes  there  are  given  many 
examples   of  the   presence   of  this  nrecept    among 


16  THE    GOLDEN   BULE    VITALIZED. 

strangely  diversified  nations.  Quotations  may  be 
made  from  classic  and  Rabbinical  writings  which 
contain  a  similar  thought ;  and  it  is  beautiful  to  see 
how  grand  ideas  of  Right  and  Duty  vindicate  the 
eternal  rectitude  of  human  nature,  and  show  that, 
despite  "  the  Fall,"  the  image  of  God  is  still  in  the 
soul.  And  it  is  this  which  makes  the  popular  form  of 
Christianity  abhorent  to  the  thoughtful  and  sympa- 
thetic soul.  It  outrages  the  universal  sentiment  of 
honor  and  right.  It  presents  the  Diety  as  acting  on 
a  lower  principle  than  he  holds  up  for  man,  and 
makes  the  law  of  Heaven  the  iron  rule  of  doing  to 
others  as  they  have  done  to  us.  And  while  the  senti- 
ment of  our  text  is  the  common  property  of  our  race, 
witnessing  to  an  idea  of  rectitude  as  inherited  from 
the  Creator,  we  can  always  hope  for  the  advance  of 
our  liberal  religion,  as  it  is  in  harmony  therewith. 
Men  holding  to  the  dogmas  of  Total  Depravity,  of 
the  arbitrary  Election  of  some  and  Reprobation  of 
others,  and  the  condemnation  of  our  race  to  endless 
wrath  because  of  the  sin  of  Adam,  must  have  awful 
contests  with  the  intuitive  principles  or  sentiments  of 
honor  and  right,  or  of  what  the  great  law  of  Equity 
demands.  It  will  not  do  to  ask  of  men  to  act  on  a 
high  plane  of  generous  sympathetic  regard,  and  then 
present  them,  as  the  Diety  of  such  a  religion,  a  God 
who  renders  evil  for  evil  and  smites  with  the  sceptre  of 
endless  wrath.  And  eloquently,  and  truthfully  as 
eloquently,  has  the  autlior  of  "  The  Conflict  of  Ages," 
in  speaking  of  the  principles  of  honor  and  right  com- 
mon to  all,  said,  "  It  has  been  the  great  evil  of  other 


THE   GOLDEN   RULE   VITALIZED.  17 

ages,  that  principles  like  these,  although  avowed,  have 
not  been  consistently  carried  out.  They  need  to  be 
exalted,  made  prominent,  and  insisted  on.  If  true 
at  all,  they  are  to  all  created  beings  the  most  momen- 
tuous  truths  in  the  universe  of  God.  They  are  like 
a  full  orbed  sun,  in  the  centre  of  all  created  existence. 
No  system  can  be  truly  seen  but  in  their  light.  No 
system  can  be  true  which  really  contravenes  them. 
For  God  is  all  glorious,  all  holy,  all  just,  all  honorable, 
all  good.  He  cannot  but  observe  the  principles  of 
honor  and  right.  For  though  he  often  dwelleth  in 
thick  darkness,  and  deep  clouds  are  his  pavilion,  yet 
now  and  evermore  righteousness  and  judgment  are 
the  habitation  of  his  throne." 

The  second  consideration  I  designed  to  present  in 
reference  to  the  text  is  this :  Misbblievers  or  Infidels 
erect  on  their  basis  of  the  universality  and  antiquity 
of  the  idea  of  the  text,  an  argument  against  honor  to 
Jesus.  In  one  of  our  Daily  papers,  the  past  week,  in 
a  correspondence  on  "  Christianity  a  Failure,"  a 
writer  speaks  of  the  good  precepts  and  sentiments 
which  may  be  culled  and  presented  as  Christianity, 
and  then  adds :  "  Suppose  I  find  the  same  or  similar 
notions  in  Zoroaster,  Confucius,  Pythagoras,  Plato,  or 
Socrates,  long  before  Christianity  was  dreamt  of,  can 
I  help  the  conviction  that  these  good  precepts  and 
sentiments  were  stolen  from  the  Heathen  ?  They  are 
not  the  integral  part  of  Christianity,  and  are  only  put 
in  to  give  value  to  the  rest." 

This  is  common  talk  on  the  part  of  modern  unbe- 
2* 


18  THE   GOJ.DEN   RULE   VITALIZED. 

lieyers.  The  most  learned  among  the  early  Chris- 
tians labored  to  show  that  Christianity  was  not  some- 
thing entirely  novel,  but  in  harmony  with  the  best 
things  of  the  best  minds  in  all  ages,  and  now  these 
things  are  put  forward  as  an  argument  that  Chris- 
tianity is  made  up  of  patch-work  —  its  good  precepts 
and  sentiments  are  not  an  integral  part  —  that  is,  do 
not  belong  to  its  wholeness,  but  are  put  on,  as  the 
painter  puts  on  certain  jewels  to  his  picture  of  Venus 
which  he  was  not  able  to  make  handsome ;  or  they 
were  as  the  jewels  the  children  of  Israel  took  with 
them  when  they  went  out  of  Egypt. 

Now  there  are  at  least  three  answers  to  this  com- 
mon objection  to  Christianity. 

It  is  not  the  preceptive  portion  of  Christianity 
which  gives  it  its  highest  value.  To  speak  of  ''  good 
sentiments  and  precepts  put  in  to  give  value  to  the 
rest,"  is  preposterous,  inasmuch  as  the  Doctrines  of 
Christianity  have  a  pre-eminent  value  in  and  of  them-, 
selves.  They  inevitably  suggest  good  sentiments  and 
precepts.  If  all  the  precepts  and  sentiments  of  all 
the  philosophers  named  had  died  with  them,  the 
doctrines  of  Christianity  would  have  re-created  all 
that  was  good  and  true.  Take  Democracy,  as  an 
illustrations.  Suppose  all  the  good  sentiments  which 
ever  were  put  forth  under  all  other  forms  of  govern- 
ment had  perished  when  Democracy  was  born  bright 
and  beautiful  to  the  apprehensions  of  men.  Would 
it  not,  as  a  doctrine,  or  principle,  or  as  a  combination 
of  doctrines  and  principles,  have  suggested  sentiments 
and  precepts  as  good  as  ever  met  the  eye  or  ear  of 


THE   GOLDEN   RULE   VITALIZED.  19 

humanity  in  any  age,  among  any  people  !     That  a 
Democracy  has  laws  and  institutions  which  have  been 
adopted  or  originated  under  other  governments,  is  no 
argument  that  these  are  not  an  integral  part  of  Demo- 
cracy.    They  arc  not  pvt  in  as  a  mechanical  addition, 
but  absorbed  as  something  made  for  its  life  ;  and  this 
but  shows  that  the  ages  have  been  a  unity  —  that 
humanity  is  an  organic  whole  —  tliat  the  labors   of 
one  age  are  for  another,  and  Democracy,  as  we  have 
it,  is  the  flower  and  consummation  of  Political  Econo- 
my —  the  aggregate  wisdom  of  all  thoughts  of  free 
institutions.     So  with  Christianity.     It  never  claimed 
to  stand  apart  from  the  preceding  ages.     Man  had 
not  only  dreamed  of,  but  prophecied  it.     It  claimed 
an  organic,  a  final  union  with  them.     "  I  came  not," 
said  Jesus,  "  to  destroy^  but  to  fnlfilP     What  was 
old  and  decriped  died  of  natural  decay  ;  but  what- 
ever was  good,  that  had  any  element  of  eternal  fresh- 
ness, lived  ;  and  Christianity  became  the  flower  and 
consummation  of  all  religious   truth.      Hence,    the 
New  Testament  is  always  appealing  to  the  Old  ;   the 
Apostles    are    always   venerating  whatever    is    good 
among  the  Heathen  ;  and  at  Athens  the  centre  of 
Philosophy,  Paul,  when  speaking  of  the  divine  Father- 
hood and  against  the  worship  of  idols,  joyfully  used 
the  Heathen  poets  as  he  said,  ''  As  certain  also  of 
your  own  poets  have  said,  '  For  we  are  also  his  off- 
spring.' "     This  sentiment  is  in  Aratus  and  Cleanthes, 
and  Paul  quoted  what  the  former  wrote  three  hundred 
years  before. 

To   make   the   good   sentiments   and   precepts    of 


20  THE   GOLDEN   RULE   VITALIZED. 

Cliristianity  stolen  jewels  gives  to  the  New  Testament 
writers  a  range  of  learning  that  cannot  be  claimed  for 
them.  It  supposes  them  to  have  had  a  key  to  every 
cabinet  from  Egypt  to  Greece,  and  to  be  greater 
masters  of  Mosaic  work  than  the  world  ever  knew. 
No,  the  sentiments  and  precepts  of  Christianity  flowed 
out  of  the  inspired  soul  of  Christ.  If  they  were 
gathered  from  all  times  and  peoples,  then  it  was  God 
who  gathered  them,  as  the  Sun  is  supposed  to  draw 
back  the  rays  of  light  which  have  illuminated  the 
globe,  and  to  pour  them  down  again  in  the  sunshine 
of  to-day. 

But  again :  Because  we  can  hunt  up  sentiments  and 
precepts  by  searching  the  literature  of  the  world,  that 
is  no  reason  for  accusing  any  person  of  theft  because 
that  person  publishes  the  like.  Children,  who  never 
read  a  single  author,  are  frequently  found  uttering  the 
most  profound  maxims  ;  and  the  ancient  reverence  for 
a  little  child  was  prompted  by  the  idea  that  it  came 
fresh  and  uncontaminated  from  the  Diety ;  and  old 
philosophers  thought  that  this  wisdom  could  be 
accounted  for  on  no  other  ground  than  the  hypothesis, 
that  knowledge  in  this  life  was  but  the  memory  of  a 
former  existence. 

It  is  a  narrow  criticism  that  makes  resemblances 
proofs  of  theft ;  and  it  is  astonishing  to  see  what  some 
critics  call  resemblances,  not  having  power  to  pene- 
trate to  the  fulness  of  the  significance  of  one  expres- 
sion in  contrast  with  the  limit  of  another.  It  is  with 
authors  as  with  inventors  :  — Authors  publish  the  same 


THE   GOLDEN   RULE   VITALIZED.  21 

idea  in  a  book  as  Inventors  do  in  a  machine  or  pro- 
cess of  art,  unknown  to  each  other.  Any  scientific 
work  which  records  the  doings  of  inventors  in  differ- 
ent countries,  will  furnish  many  instances  of  the  same 
invention  in  widely  separated  countries.  A  learned 
man  has  asserted  that  the  only  original  portion  of  the 
Lord's  prayer  is  the  petition  relating  to  forgiveness ; 
but  before  this  can  be  proved,  the  previous  question 
must  be  settled,  "  Had  Jesus  access  to  these  Rabbini- 
cal writings  and  did  he  use  them  ?"  What  was 
original  with  Christ,  and  what  might  be  hunted  up 
among  all  the  writings  of  the  laws,  are  quite  different 
matters.  But  admitting  the  existence  of  the  parts,  is 
the  symmetrical  whole  not  an  originality  ?  This 
brings  me  to  the  last  proposition  : — 

Whatever  may  have  been  anticipated  of  the  good 
sentiments  and  precepts  of  Christianity  by  master 
spirits  before  Christ,  the  originality  of  Christianity 
holds  good  on  the  ground  of  the  symmetrical  harmony 
of  its  parts,  its  perfection  as  a  whole,  and  the  vitality 
imparted  to  all  sentiments  and  percepts  by  the  doc- 
trines and  life  of  Jesus  Christ.  Here  was  originality 
to  a  grand  degree.  The  doctrines  of  Jesus  in  their 
fulness  were  no  stolen  jewels  put  into  the  ears  of  a 
corpse ;  and  from  whence  did  he  steal  that  Divine 
Life  of  his  ?  It  is  a  humiliating  process  for  the  unbe- 
liever to  go  through  his  famous  ranks  of  Philosophers 
and  see  with  what  absurd  superstitions  they  united 
the  fine  sentiments  and  good  precepts  which  are  so 
much  applauded.     Their  doctrines  did   not  uphold 


22  THE   GOLDEN   RULE   VITALIZED. 

these  precepts  any  more  than  the  doctrines  of  the 
popular  Church  can  support  the  Golden  Rule.  In 
Jesus  we  see  something  peculiar.  He  vitalized  his 
precepts.  The  words  that  he  spake  were  "  spirit  and 
life."  Whatever  of  sentiment  or  precept  that  existed 
before  his  time,  were  as  the  elements  of  modern  dis- 
coveries or  inventions  which  are  by  no  means  new ; 
but  the  combination  of  them,  the  forms  given  them, 
by  which  they  minister  to  the  advance  of  Civilization 
and  the  progress  of  Society,  are  new.  Men  of  modern 
times  have  regulated  and  directed  these  elements  as 
they  have  never  been  regulated  and  directed  before  ; 
and  the  spirit  of  our  humane  religion  is  finely  seen  in 
the  fact,  that  the  glory  of  inventive  skill  lies  now  in 
ministering  to  what  contributes  to  the  general  good. 

Say  then,  if  men  will,  that  Jesus  taught  nothing 
new  —  that,  like  the  Golden  Rule,  all  the  good  senti- 
ments and  precepts  of  Christianity  are  jewels  worn 
before  the  time  of  Christ,  still  it  is  low  talk  to  speak 
of  them  as  stolen  ;  and  it  is  a  poor  compliment  to  a 
man's  range  of  thought  for  him  to  say,  he  cannot  help 
the  conviction  that  they  were  stolen.  Nay,  these 
things  were,  when  Christ  came,  almost  without  power. 
He  breathed  into  them  new  life,  and  they  had  power, 
as  when  God  breathed  into  the  lifeless  clay  the  breath 
of  life  and  Adam  rose  to  go  into  the  Garden  to  dress 
and  to  keep  it. 


SERMON    II 


UNWASTING  POWER. 
Thoit  hast  the  dkw  of  thy  youth.— Psalm  ex.:  3. 

The  grass  is  greenest,  and  the  flower  is  sweetest, 
where  the  dew  lies  longest ;  and  to  be  said  to  have, 
in  manhood,  the  dew  of  one's  youth,  is  to  he  said  to 
retain  freshness  of  life,  its  buoyant  energy,  and  its 
beautiful  prophecies. 

The  text  is  connected  with  a  magnificent  promise 
which  all  Christians  apply  to  the  Saviour.  David  com- 
mences with  a  high  strain,  sweeping  all  the  chords  of 
his  harp  at  once,  and  says,  "  The  Lord  said  unto  my 
Lord''  that  is,  Jehovah,  in  the  great  purposes  of 
redemption,  spake  unto  the  Messiah,  the  great  hope 
of  David  ;  and  to  David's  Lord,  Jehovah  said,  "  Sit 
thou  at  my  right  hand,  until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy 
footstool  y 

And  then  comes  the  grand  promise,  clothed  in  the 
richest  oriental  imagery :  "  The  Lord  shall  send  the 
rod  of  thy  strength   out  of  Zion  :  rule  thou  in  the 


24  UNWASTING   POWER. 

midst  of  thine  enemies.  Thy  people  shall  be  willing 
in  the  day  of  thy  power,  in  the  bounties  of  holiness 
from  the  womb  of  the  morning :  Thou  hast  the  dew 
of  thy  youth." 

Here,  in  the  language  of  sublime  poetry,  four 
things  are  presented,  the  Messiah's  people  ;  the  wil- 
lingness of  the  Messiah's  people  at  a  certain  time ; 
that  certain  time  is  set  forth  on  the  day  of  the  Mes- 
siah's power ;  and  the  glory  of  the  result  is  pictured 
as  the  beauties  of  holiness,  which  beauties  are  imaged 
by  the  rising  dews  of  the  morning,  glittering  in  the 
light  of  the  early  sun,  like  orient  pearls. 

There  is  a  fine  gradation  of  thought  as  we  reverse 
the  order  of  these  ideas  and  ascend  from  the  last  to 
the  first. 

The  beauties  of  holiness  are  imaged  in  the  purity 
and  loveliness  of  the  dew,  and  the  dew  is  never  any 
where  more  beautiful  or  plentiful  than  in  the  land  of 
the  Psalmist. 

These  beauties  are  to  attend  the  Messiah's  day  of 
power.  His  power  is  unto  holiness,  the  beauties  of 
holiness  —  that  perfection  of  result  which  shall  leave 
nothing  wanted  in  the  completeness  of  the  redemption. 
The  results  of  his  power  shall  be  as  perfect  as  the 
globes  of  the  morning  dew  —  as  crystally  pure  —  as 
prismatic  to  the  great  central  Light. 

This  power,  producing  such  results  shall  be  in  har- 
mony with  the  willingness  of  the  people.  There  is 
power  spoken  of  in  connection  with  David's  Lord, 
God's  Messiah  ;  and  there  is  willingness  spoken  of  in 
connection  with  the  Messiah's  people ;  and  God  sees 


UNWASTING   POWER.  25 

the   harmony  between   this   power  and  willingness, 
whether  man  can  search  it  out  or  not. 

And  then,  also,  this  people  who  are  to  become  willing 
in  the  day  of  the  Messiah's  power,  must  be  recognized 
as  not  his  in  character  in  the  light  of  this  prophecy. 
This  prophecy  speaks  of  their  being  willing  when  the 
day  of  power  comes,  so  that  the  people  spoken  of, 
must  embrace  those  who  were  intended,  where  it  is 
written,  "  Sit  thou  at  my  right  hand,  until  I  make 
thine  enemies  thy  footstool."  And  also,  where  in  the 
context,  we  read,  "  The  Lord  shall  send  the  rod  of 
thy  strength  out  of  Zion ;  rule  thou  in  the  midst  of 
thine  enemies. 

That  rod  or  sceptre  of  strength  shall  be  swayed, 
and  that  rule  exercised,  to  the  bringing  in  of  the 
beauties  of  holiness  wherever  the  hideousness  of  sin 
has  been  and  is.  The  footstool  of  the  Messiah  shall 
be  glorious,  because  it  shall  be  made  of  prostrate 
kings  and  humbled  princes  ;  the  great  and  the  mighty 
shall  submit ;  the  masses  shall  become  united  in  sub- 
jection to  truth  and  holiness  ;  but  that  footstool  shall 
not  be  as  a  thing  to  tread  upon,  to  stamp  with  the 
heal  of  violence ;  for  this  is  not  the  use  to  which 
the  kings  place  a  footstool ;  —  their  use  of  it  is  to  give 
dignity  and  ease  as  they  sit  enthroned  in  the  majesty 
of  state.  As  the  dews  beautify,  in  the  morning,  the 
earth,  God's  footstool,  so  shall  the  redemption  of  all 
souls  make  a  footstool  for  Christ  all  beautiful  with  the 
beauties  of  holiness. 

But  the  text,  which  is  a  brief  portion  of  the  pro- 
phecy thus  dwelt  upon,  has  an  attraction  peculiar  to 
itself:  "  Thou  hast  the  dew  of  thy  youth.'' 
8 


26  UNWASTING   POWER. 

It  seems  to  be  a  rapt  expression  of  the  sacred  poet, 
suggested  by  the  image  previously  used,  where  the 
dews  of  the  morning  were  employed  to  set  forth  the 
beauties  of  holiness. 

The  earth  seems  still  fresh  and  young  as  the  dews 
rise  and  impearl  the  leaves  and  flowers,  and  so  the 
blessed  Redeemer  loses  no  virtue  by  the  victories  he 
achieves. 

The  circuits  of  the  vapors  are  ever  supplying  to  the 
earth  the  material  for  its  dews,  and  the  eternal  pro- 
vidence of  God  is  the  full  fountain  of  the  Saviour's 
fulness. 

The  grand  summing  up  of  the  Gospel  is,  "  God  in 
Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,"  and  now, 
as  in  any  portion  of  the  Redeemer's  career,  he  is  fresh 
for  his  work,  and  the  beauties  of  holiness  attest  his 
power,  as  the  dew  drops  now  sparkle  in  the  light  of 
the  morning,  as  when  Adam  blessed  Eve,  or  Jacob 
found  the  fleece  wet,  or  the  Psalmist  beheld  in  their 
beauty  the  purity  of  the  holy  soul  and  the  regenerated 
heart. 

God's  agencies  never  lose  by  activity.  They  have 
an  eternal  youth.  Jesus  is  a  priest,  not  according  to 
a  changing  and  perishing  priesthood,  "  but  after  the 
power  of  an  endless  life  ;"  and  so  with  his  kingship  ; 
for  he  sits  on  no  throne  of  succession,  but  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  Father,  according  to  the  purpose  of 
ages  —  the  plan  of  God  "  before  the  foundation  of  tlie 
world,"  and  by  which  came  the  promise  in  Eden,  and 
the  prophecies  that  fell  from  the  harp  of  David,  and 
rung  from  the  trumpet  of  Isaiah. 


UNWASTING   POWER.  27 

Such  a  priest  and  king  —  such  a  Saviour  cannot  be 
defeated  ;  and  to  read  the  text,  "  Thou  hast  the  dew 
of  thy  youth ^^  is  to  read  of  the  eternal  freshness  and 
sameness  of  the  Redeemer's  power  in  producing  the 
beauties  of  holiness. 

0  what  a  power  was  that  whicli,  by  his  truth  and 
his  miracles,  Jesus  exhibited  in  the  morning  of  his 
great  mission  !  And  have  we  yet  to  learn,  that  his 
Truth  remains  the  same,  though  his  miracles  are 
ended  ?  To  him,  the  work  of  his  truth  on  the  soul^ 
was  a  greater  result  than  the  deed  of  healing  which 
he  performed  for  the  body.  These  deeds  of  healhig 
were  but  expressions  or  types  of  what  his  truth  could 
do  for  the  faculties  of  the  mind,  as  he  seemed  to 
intimate  when  he  met  the  blind  man,  and  declaring 
himself  "  the  Light  of  the  World,"  opened  the  sealed 
eyes  of  the  kneeling  suppliant  and  permitted  him  to 
behold  the  sun,  the  beauties  of  nature,  the  face  of  his 
fellow  man  and  his  benefactor. 

Thou  hast,  0  Saviour  !  the  dew  of  thy  youth  — thy 
glorious  morning.  The  freshness  of  the  Almighty 
power  is  ever  thine.  The  baptism  of  the  Highest  has 
lost  none  of  its  unction  ;  and  the  dews  of  Hermon  but 
faintly  picture  the  plentifulness  of  the  conquests  of 
thy  redeeming  grace,  and  the  perfect  beauty  of  the 
result  —  the  beauties  of  holiness. 

But  another  application  of  our  text  attracts  us  now. 
Where  the  dew  lies  longest,  there  the  grass  is  green- 
est, and  the  flowers  are  sweetest.  The  dews  are 
greatly  enriching  to  the  soil  where  tliey  are  distilled, 
and  the  flower  that  is  plucked  that  has  kopt  till  the 


28  UNWASTING  POWER. 

noon  tide  the  dew  of  the  morning,  is  most  beautiful 
to  the  eye  and  sweetest  to  the  sense  that  inhales  its 
perfume. 

How  eloquently  this  speaks  of  the  benefits  of  early 
religious  education  !  Eminent  piety,  presenting  an 
unspotted  name,  a  symmetrical  character,  a  uniform 
testimony  to  the  greatness  of  virtue  and  the  royalty 
of  Right,  —  what  is  it  but  the  retaining  of  "  the  dew 
of  youth"  —  the  fresh  beauty  of  light's  morning  ! 

There  is  nothing  more  attractive  than  the  beauty  of 
youth  seen  in  old  age  —  something  that  says  life  is 
ever  new,  that  the  years  have  their  blessing  and  their 
favors  as  parts  of  a  Providential  period. 

To  see  such  a  one,  is  like  going  into  the  fields 
where,  as  you  wander,  you  see  nothing  but  the  half- 
wilted  grain  and  bent  grass,  till  you  come  to  where 
the  dew  has  lingered  and  the  freshness  of  the  grass 
and  the  grain  is  delightful  to  behold.  "We  say  of  such 
a  one,  and  we  say  truly,  "  He  is  enjoying  a  green  old 
age !"  and  hardly  any  of  us  can  help  sympathizing 
with  the  poet  who  sung  : 

"  How  I  love  the  mellow  sage, 
Smiling  tlirough  the  veil  of  age  ! 
A^Q  is  on  his  temples  hung, 
But  his  heart  —  Ids  heart  is  young  /" 

And  what  will  contribute  most  to  this  —  this  pos- 
session of  the  dew  of  youth  in  a  green  old  age  ?  I 
answer,  that  which  will  best  preserve  the  heart's  fresh- 
ness in  every  period  of  life,  and  that  is,  the  Religion 
of  Jesus,     This  is  the  guardian  of  the  whole  being; 


UNWASTING    POWER.  29 

and  they  who  imagine  that  religion  may  be  put  oil 
to  some  special  period  in  life  when  sadness  or  sorrow 
may  have  come,  when  the  heart  is  torn  and  shattered 
like  a  broken  lute,  may  learn  something  better  from 
the  dew  of  the  morning.  "  My  doctrine  shall  drop  as 
the  rain,  and  distil  as  the  deiv,  as  the  small  rain  on 
the  tender  herb,"  said  Moses  in  the  opening  of  a  sub- 
lime ode.  "•  The  small  rain  on  the  tender  herb  !"  what 
is  that  but  a  sweet  image  to  speak  of  the  appropriate 
influence  of  religion  on  the  young  ?  Only  by  the 
culture  of  religion  in  the  morning  of  thy  years.  0 
young  man  !  0  young  woman  !  can  it  be  thy  happi- 
ness to  hear,  in  the  year  of  thy  manhood  or  AYoman- 
hood,  and  of  old  age,  "  Thou  hast  the  dew  of  thy 
youth  !"  a  freshness  that  tells  of  unwasted  power. 

Too  many  good  Christians  can  go  back  no  farther 
than  to  the  rain  that  fell  upon  their  hearts  when  youth 
was  passed ;  and  too  many,  alas,  can  turn  back  no 
farther  than  when  their  way  of  life  begun  to  "  fall 
into  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf,"  and  religion  was 
accepted  because  the  earth  has  lost  its  charm,  and, 
like  a  criminal  condemned  to  die,  a  preparation  was 
[ought  for  the  march  to  the  tomb.  To  God  is  given 
the  dregs  of  life  ;  and  prayer  is  but  a  lightning  rod 
to  avert  the  stroke  of  heaven's  shafts  of  fire. 

Religion  is  something  for  youth. 

"  The  earth  affords  no  lovelier  sight, 
Then  a  religious  youth.'^ 

Religion  binds  year  to  year  with  the  band  of  ''  natural 
piety."     It  is  the  dew  of  morning  that  shall  leave  an 

3* 


80  UN  WASTING   POWER. 

influence  that  will  be  seen  in  the  sunset  of  mortality. 
It  is  the  protector  of  innocence.  It  is  the  shield  of 
virtue.  It  is  the  herald  of  noblest  aims.  It  is  the 
inspiration  of  loftiest  courage.  It  is  strength  and 
power,  resolution  and  energy,  struggling  and  achieve- 
ment for  life's  grandest  meaning.  It  is  the  serenity 
of  the  spirit  amid  trial ;  the  repose  of  the  heart  when 
circumstances  seem  to  mock,  and  life  threatens  to  be 
a  failure.     It  is  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul. 

Let  then,  the  morning  of  life  have  its  dew.  Let 
the  distillations  of  the  truths  of  the  Bible  fall  on  your 
hearts.  Let  the  overshadowing  presence  of  God  in 
the  soul  be  as  the  cloud  that  drops  dew,  and  then  wilt 
thou  say  of  one  who  is  more  than  an  earthly  king, 
"  His  favor  is  as  dew  upon  the  grass." 

Far  better,  0  parents  and  guardians  !  is  it  to  use 
Religion  in  fonning'  the  character  in  the  first  efforts 
of  the  soul  upon  itself,  than  to  wait  till  it  must  be 
used  to  refashion  and  adorn.  The  dew  that  helps  the 
opening  of  the  bud  and  rolls  its  blessing  down  deep 
into  the  heart  of  the  flower,  is  more  to  be  prized  than 
the  dew  that  only  glosses  the  withered  leaf  and  keeps 
the  flower  from  speedily  dying.  "  They  that  wait 
upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength  ;  they  shall 
mount  upon  wings  as  eagles "  —  eagles  that  are 
replumed,  and  that  spread  their  wing,  and  fasten  their 
eye  on  the  sun,  in  all  the  energy  and  freshness  of 
their  first  soaring  amid  the  clouds,  when  above  where 
the  thunder  rolls,  they  rejoiced  in  the  clear  blue  of 
heaven's  serenity  and  that  they  had  passed  the  light- 
ning's path. 


SERMON   III 


YOUNG  AMERICA. 

I  HAVE  WRITTEN  UKTO  YOU,  YOUNG  MEN,  BECAUSE  YE  ARE  STRONG. 

1  Johu  ii. :  14. 

The  Bible  is  the  most  inspiring  book  for  the  young 
man.  It  speaks  to  him  as  capable  of  the  highest 
aims,  the  loftiest  purposes,  and  the  grandest  achieve- 
ments ;  and  wherever  jou  may  turn  for  similitudes  of 
strength,  vigor,  elasticity  and  hope,  you  meet  with 
references  to  the  young  man.  He  rises  up  to  the 
imagination  as  the  spring-time  abounding  with  forces 
which  Fliall  change  the  year  from  winter  to  summer 
beauty  and  autumn  richness  ;  while  every  suggestion 
of  the  need  of  care  in  pruning,  training,  and  foster- 
ing, is  but  a  hint  of  the  native  wealth  yielding  its 
resources. 

It  is  a  grand  sight  to  behold  St.  John  in  advanced 
life  addressing  young  men  and  giving  as  his  reason 
for  so  doing,  their  strength^  placing  them  in  the  mili- 
tant position,  and  trusting  the  victory  to  their  achieve- 
ments. 


6'Z  YOUNG   AMERICA. 

And,  first,  tlie  young  are  strong  in  numbers. 

In  the  various  educational  institutions  in  the  coun- 
try three  millions  of  the  male,  and  one  million  of  the 
female  youth  are  receiving  educational  privileges,  and 
what  a  mighty  army  would  these  make  to  show  that 
the  young  are  strong  in  numbers ! 

What  a  mass  of  mind  is  thus  receiving  impressions, 
beyond  any  contrast  which  any  portion  of  the  world 
can  furnish.  Young  America  cannot  turn  to  any 
point  where  it  will  not  find  itself  addressed  with  most 
spirit  stirring  appeals  to  be  strong  in  thought,  in  self 
development,  in  the  harmony  of  appetite  and  aspira- 
tion, in  the  consecration  of  the  whole  being  to 
personal  purity  and  exalted  patriotism. 

I  would  do   something,  while  considering  the  vast 
number  of  the  youth  of  America,  to  redeem  from  low 
and  rowdyish  associations  the  name  of  Young  America 
as  denoting  the   freshest  efforts  for  progress  in  con- 
nexion with  public  matters. 

Whenever  there  is  an  outljurst  of  mere  passion  — 
an  overriding  of  all  law,  and  the  worst  spirit  of  boy- 
ish sportiveness  is  united  with  the  violence  of  the 
brutal  man,  the  common  remark  is,  "  There  is  Young 
America  in  full  bloom !"  And  in  accordance  with 
this,  lengthy  orations  are  delivered,  sad  sermons  are 
preached,  and  mournful  lamentations  are  sung,  decry- 
ing the  spirit  of  the  age,  despairing  of  the  success  of 
our  free  institutions ;  and  the  worst  pictures  of  the 
worst  parts  of  crowded  city  life  are  set  forth  as  speci- 
mens of  the  Spirit  of  the  Times. 

Now,  nothing  is  more  disastrous  than  to  depreciate 


YOUNG  AMEEICA.  33 

tlie  young.  It  discourages  them  in  reference  to  good 
effort ;  it  encourages  them  in  the  wilfulness  of  appe- 
tite and  passion ;  it  infuses  no  redeeming  element 
into  the  forces  of  character  ;  and  it  makes  the  future 
of  our  country  dark  to  the  vision  of  the  anxious 
patriot.  It  prevents  any  just  discernment  of  the 
different  classes  in  the  community,  and  makes  us  blind 
to  the  fact,  that  in  the  social  and  business  world,  as 
in  nature,  the  most  powerful  forces  are  the  most 
invisible  ;  and  that,  though  now  and  then  we  have 
the  outbursting  thunder  with  the  electric  flash,  yet  con- 
stantly diffused  and  active  is  the  vital  electricity  silent 
in  the  atmosphere. 

It  is  true,  the  young  are  strong  in  passions,  in  impe- 
tuous desires,  in  appetites,  in  hopes  that  ask  not  for  the 
means  of  fulfilment,  and  aspirations  which  have  yet  to 
be  freed  from  too  exuberant  growth.  But  is  it  not 
good  to  see  this  fresh  life  ?  to  behold  the  evidence, 
that  born  upon  the  bosom  of  the  old  Earth,  every  thing 
wears  a  youthful  appearance  to  the  eye  of  wonder, 
and  the  stars  that  gazed  on  Abraham  and  lighted 
the  desert  home  of  Hagar's  son,  seem  new  creations, 
through  which  the  glory  of  Eternal  Beauty  comes  to 
the  sight  of  man.  In  ancient  times  new  life  was  put 
into  the  old  blood  and  shrunken  veins  of  a  royal  per- 
sonage by  contact  with  the  young,  and  so  is  it  in  every 
department  of  society  where  there  is  any  cordial 
sympathy  with  youthful  buoyancy  and  exuberant 
hope.  Grand  is  the  thought  of  the  poet,  when  look- 
ing out  on  the  awful  tyranny  of  the  Papal  States 
while  war  was  raging  against  Liberty,  she  saw  a  child 


34  YOUNG   AMERICA. 

lifted  up  and  smiling  in  the  crowd,  and  received  it  as 
a  token  not  to  despair,  saying, 

Who  said  we  should  be  better  if  like  these  ? 
And  ice  —  des])ond  we  for  the  future  ;  though 
Posterity  is  smiling  at  our  knees, 
Convicting  us  of  folly  ?" 

A  recent  Association  formed  in  Boston  for  the 
erection  of  a  Monument  to  Franklin,  have  embraced 
in  the  picture  on  their  certificate  of  Membership  the 
figure  of  Franklin  with  a  kite  leaning  against  him, 
and  a  view  of  the  Telegraph.  The  kite  employed  by 
the  Philosopher  in  his  experiments  is  a  plaything  of 
the  young,  and  the  experiment  it  served  to  make  so 
successful,  is  but  a  type  of  the  aspirations  of  Young 
America  ;  and  there  are  as  grand  connections  between 
those  aspirations  and  the  results  of  the  Future,  as 
between  the  kite  experiment  of  Franklin  and  the 
Telegraphic  wonders  of  the  present  day. 

Yes,  here  is  the  next  thought,  the  young  are  strong 
in  Hope,  in  trust  in  God's  future,  putting  the  Janus 
face  of  the  New  Year  to  soften  the  sombre  effect  of 
the  countenance  of  the  Old  Year,  bidding  us  listen  for 
the  music  which  is  soon  to  wake  in  the  woodland,  on 
the  hill  side,  and  by  the  streams.  And  this  we  need. 
It  comes  in  amid  our  darker  musings  as  the  young 
David  entered  the  presence  of  Saul,  and  made  him 
smile  with  his  expressions  of  daring  towards  the 
proud  giant  of  tlie  Philistines.  It  was  a  grand  day 
when  young  Israel  thus  rose  to  view  ;  and  though  his 
elder  brother  told  him  he  had  deserted  the  sheep  he 


YOUNG  AMERICA.  35 

was  only  fitted  to  tend,  his  deeds  showed  that  youth- 
ful expertness  is  more  than  a  matcli  for  giant  unwieldi- 
ness,  and  David,  holding  in  his  little  plump  hand  the 
gory  head  of  Goliath,  symbolizes  the  fresh  spirit  of 
Young  America,  the  victor  over  profane  might. 

But  this  freshness  of  spirit  is  only  to  be  cherished 
as  David  cherished  it — at  the  fountains  of  God.  He 
did  not  meet  the  giant  in  his  own  name  ;  he  was  not 
strong  in  self-reliance ;  but  he  spoke  the  name  of 
God,  and  felt  his  power  in  the  swing  of  his  arm,  the 
aim  of  the  stone,  and  heard  his  voice  in  the  whiz  of 
the  sling,  as  it  whirled  through  the  air,  and  sent  the 
smooth  stone  to  its  mark.  Hence  the  pertinency  of 
St.  John's  added  words  after  he  wrote,  "I  have  writ- 
ten unto  you,  young  men,  because  ye  are  strong,"  for 
he  did  add,  "  and  the  word  of  God  abideth  in  you, 
and  ye  have  overcome  the  wicked  one."  This  is  the 
crowning  strength  of  humanity,  and  no  demon  can 
possess  the  soul  while,  with  its  own  overcoming  pow- 
er, the  word  of  God  abideth  in  the  young  man. 
Young  America  thus  possessed  would  prove  more  ter- 
rible than  an  army  with  banners,  more  victorious  than 
a  thousand  of  the  mightiest  armies.  Young  America 
would  thus  re-produce  Washington,  and  would  move 
to  the  battle  of  Progress  the  most  effectually  for  the 
liberty  of  the  world. 

How  shall  the  youth  of  the  States  and  the  domains 
of  this  country  be  impelled  to  the  putting  on  of  this 
noble,  patriotic  spirit  ? 

Scolding  will  not  do  it,  nor  ridicule,  nor  deprecia- 
tion, nor  anathema,  nor  solemn  warning,  nor  impa- 


36  YOUNG   AMERICA. 

tient  reformers ;  for  spirit  answers  only  to  kindred 
spirit,  and  repels  whatever  is  antagonistic.  The  real 
demand  is,  for  that  recognition  of  the  goodness  of 
human  nature  which  admits  noble  aims  to  be  in  har- 
mony with  our  Maker,  and  which  labors  to  do  for  the 
soul  what  Adam  did  for  the  garden  of  Eden — to  dress 
and  to  keep  the  exuberant  vines,  that  the  force  of 
growth,  which  must  find  expression,  need  not  run  to 
waste. 

In  our  judgment  of  the  young,  we  forget  what  an 
age  of  stimulation  this  is — what  a  hot-house  it  is  to 
the  plants  that  otherwise  might  unfold  more  perfectly 
and  enduringly,  and  we  charge  upon  human  nature 
what  only  belongs  to  the  exciting  influence  of  the 
steam  engine  and  the  telegraph.  The  common  rep- 
resentations of  the  old  and  young  changing  places, 
are  as  effectual  against  the  old  as  against  the  young ; 
for  why,  with  their  immense  advantage,  did  they  not 
keep  the  junior  behind  the  senior?  for  the  enemy  in 
the  parable,  sowed  tares  in  the  field  while  slumber 
was  on  the  eyes  of  those  who  should  have  been  awake. 
Aged  Eli  was  told  that  the  reason  why  young  Israel 
had  been  made  iniquitous,  was  the  sin  of  his  own  sons 
at  the  very  door  of  the  tabernacle ;  and  said  the  Al- 
mighty, "  They  made  themselves  vile,  and  you  re- 
strained them  not."  Easy  old  man  !  hardly  waking 
to  see  the  inspired  face  of  Samuel,  and  not  noting  the 
contrast  of  Hannah's  child  and  his  own  sons. 

We  are  too  ready  to  speak  of  Eli's  children  with- 
out remembering  Hannah's  son. 

The  ludicrous  caricatures  of  Young  America  are, 


YOUNG   AMERICA.  37 

I  repeat,  as  censurable  to  tlie  old  as  to  the  young ; 
and  we  should  be  cautious,  lest  while  we  call  the  radi- 
cal to  a  proper  reverence  for  the  past,  we  show  there 
is  no  past  to  reverence,  because  the  character  of  the 
present  shows  no  happy  work  wrought  by  it.  Con- 
servatives who  depreciate  the  present,  do,  most  effect- 
ually, decry  the  past,  for  a  degenerate  stock  shows 
degeneracy  in  the  sires. 

The  fact  is,  all  ages  are  linked  together,  and  the 
truest  strength  of  the  young  is  derived  from  a  vital 
connection  with  the  past.  They  stretch  out  their 
hand  and  connect  themselves  with  the  electric  chain 
which  runs  through  age  after  age,  winding  through 
infinite  circuits  among  the  nations  and  peoples  of  the 
earth,  till  it  reaches  Adam  under  the  tree  of  life  in 
Eden.  It  is  a  mighty  spirit — this  spirit  of  associa- 
tion, this  union  with  all  ages,  making  the  individual 
man  unite  himself  with  his  nation  in  far-off  times,  as 
the  Greek  of  the  present  time  talks  of  the  victory  we 
gained  at  Marathon,  and  impels  the  Psalmist  to  make 
the  generation  around  him  to  have  lived,  as  it  were, 
through  all  ages,  as  he  addressed  God  by  saying, 
"Thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all  genera- 
tions !" 

0,  Young  America  must  never  loosen  these  vital 
connections  with  the  past.  They  must  be  felt  with 
their  good  and  evil.  The  dark  shades  of  disaster 
must  be  seen  to  blend  with  the  gorgeous  lights  of 
victory,  and  tlie  soul  stand  up  amid  tlie  whole  with 
something  of  the  feeling  which  creeps  over  us  in  a 
vast  forest,  where  the  swaying  trees  are  constantly 
4 


38  YOUNG   AMERICA. 

changing  the  chequered  floor  of  that  great  cathedral, 
and  where  we  see  such  wonderful  blending  of  age 
and  youth — the  oak  and  the  violet.  How  gladly 
amid  the  young  growth,  and  the  springing  of  the 
blue-edged  yiolet,  do  we  catch  sight  of  some  of  the 
old  landmarks,  where 

"A  darker  moss 
Coats  the  rough  outside  of  the  old  grey  rock  ; 
Some  broad  arm  of  the  oak  is  wrenched  away; 
By  storm  and  thunder — thro'  the  hillside  wears 
A  deeper  furrow — and  the  streams  descend, 
Sometimes  in  wilder  torrents  than  before, — 
But  slill  they  serve  as  guides  o'er  ancient  paths, 
To  wearied  wanderers." 

Yes,  there  is  much  to  bind  us  to  the  past.  Our 
fathers  reverenced  the  past,  revolutionary  as  they 
were  ;  but  they  gave  to  it  no  honor  that  belonged  to 
their  present  and  future.  While  appeals  to  charters 
and  history,  to  laws  and  edicts,  to  constitutions  and 
monumental  things,  could  promise  any  good,  or  were 
right,  they  made  the  appeal ;  but  when  they  could 
send  no  root  out  into  the  future,  and  the  river  must 
stop  flowing,  they  yielded  to  the  other  portion  of  their 
nature,  which  made  them  heirs  of  the  future,  men  of 
progress,  champions  of  daring  innovation  ;  and  to  the 
stone  of  stumbling  and  rock  of  offence  which  they 
could  not  remove,  they  applied  a  touch  that  dissolved 
it,  so  that  the  free  winds  bore  it  away  as  dust. 

High  thinking,  broadening  sympathy,  activity  that 
can  give  way  to  healthy  repose,  plainer  living,  are  the 
great  duties  of  the  present.     AVe  must  bear  as  strong 


YOUNG  AMERICA.  39 

a  testimony  against  that  gilded  vulgarity  which  shines 
amid  the  silks  and  satins  of  the  fasliionable  drawing- 
room,  as  against  the  naked  and  loathsome  rowdyism 
of  the  lower  strata  of  society.  Sometimes  I  think 
there  is  no  less  a  need  for  philanthropic  efforts  in 
respect  to  the  children  of  the  rich,  than  in  reference 
to  the  children  of  the  poor.  Vice  appears  another 
thing  in  brocades  and  laces,  fine  apparel  and  polished 
manners,  and  Satan  does  his  worst,  when  he  trans- 
forms "himself  into  an  angel  of  light."  While  the 
new  clothes  of  iniquity  last,  her  snares  are  most  fatal; 
and  how  awful  is  the  fact,  that  pride  shrinking  from 
contact  with  the  poor  and  lowly  when  the  object  is 
good,  can  humble  itself  when  the  purpose  is  to  betray 
and  ruin.  The  same  low  thinking  by  which  the 
poorer  classes  are  kept  to  their  vicious  modes  of  wast- 
ing life,  rules  the  richer  classes,  where  they  are  pos- 
sessed by  the  love  of  dress,  the  showy  equipage,  the 
dazzling  display,  the  apeing  of  foreign  manners  and 
customs,  and  the  longing  for  travel  for  the  mere  sake 
of  saying,  '^  When  I  was  in  Paris,  or  London,  or  Flor- 
ence, or  Rome." 

What  we  want  is  a  spirit  truly  American — a  spirit 
that  shows  something  fresh  to  the  world  ;  a  spirit  of 
progressive  wisdom  applied  to  laws,  institutions,  and 
every  form  of  political,  commercial,  and  moral  action; 
a  spirit  that  upholds  the  rights  and  privileges  of  every 
citizen,  and  rings  the  "Three  Bells"  of  rescue  every- 
where— fidelity  to  the  interests  of  freedom  at  home, 
protection  to  the  Americans  abroad,  and  sympathy 
with  the  oppressed  throughout  the  world. 


40  YOUNG   AMERICA. 

There  is  such  a  Young  America.  I  feel  the  fresh 
breathings  of  its  reverence  for  the  fathers,  its  appre- 
ciation of  the  grandeur  and  might  of  the  Union,  its 
breadth  of  patriotism  that  discards  the  usurpation  of 
mere  local  interests,  and  while  mourning  over  the 
delinquencies  which  stain  our  country's  fame,  yields 
not  an  iota  of  hope  to  the  prophets  of  despair.  It 
shows  itself  strong — strong  in  principles  of  right  and 
Liberty's  might ;  strong  in  the  God  of  our  fathers, 
and  the  only  God  of  their  children ;  strong  to  say  we 

•'  Will  go  onward  to  extinguish 

With  our  fresh  souls  our  younger  hope, 

And  God's  maturity  of  purpose." 


SERMON    lY. 


NO  SYMPATHY  AMONG  THE  GUILTY. 

And  they  said,  "What  is  that  to  us  ?  see  thou  to  that.— Matt,  xxvii.  4. 

No  one  of  the  disciples  watched  the  proceedings 
against  Jesus  after  his  betrayal,  with  any  thing  like 
the  intensity  of  Judas.  He  was  the  only  one  who 
could  do  it  with  impunity.  By  the  act  of  betrayal, 
he  had  placed  himself  on  the  popular  side,  and  could 
watch  the  whole  movement  without  impediment.  A 
history  of  those  few  hours  in  the  experience  of  Judas 
would  be  worth  the  reading.  They  would  open  the 
secrets  of  the  prison-house  of  conscience,  and  tell  us 
that  the  silent  condemnation  which  the  betrayer  felt, 
was  more  terrible  than  the  loud,  crashing  thunders  of 
any  public  indignation.  He  watched  the  issue  of  the 
trial.  He  saw  the  whole  of  the  malice  and  cruelty  of 
the  enemies  of  his  Master ;  he  beheld  the  meek  sub- 
mission of  his  Lord,  and  his  own  iniquity  was  fully 
revealed  to  his  soul.  He  flew  to  where  those  who 
4* 


42  NO    SYMPATHY   AMONG  THE   GUILTY. 

had  hired  him  were  assembled,  and  bearing  the  thirty 
pieces  of  silver,  he  entered  the  hall ;  he  attempted  to 
do  something  for  Jesus ;  and  throwing  the  silver 
down  before  the  astonished  priests  and  elders,  he  ex- 
claimed, "I  have  sinned,  in  that  I  have  betrayed  the 
innocent  blood." 

It  was  a  noble  vindication  of  Christ.  It  was  made 
directly  to  those  who  had  purchased  his  blood,  and 
the  price  of  that  blood  was  given  up.  Could  Judas 
have  found  anything  in  the  life  and  character  of  Je- 
sus that  was  evil,  he  would  not  have  done  as  he  did. 
But  he  had  betrayed  "the  innocent  blood,"  and  there 
he  stood,  shaken  to  the  centre  of  his  being  by  the 
horror  of  his  deed. 

AVhat  a  contrast  was  seen  in  that  trembling,  horror- 
stricken  man,  and  those  wily  priests  and  cool  elders ! 
They  take  very  quietly  his  exclamation,  and  they  re- 
ply, "  What  is  that  to  us?  see  thou  to  that.^^ 

What  did  they  care  about  the  innocence  of  their 
victim,  seeing  he  was  at  last  in  their  power  ?  What 
had  they  to  do  with  the  responsibiUttj  of  the  deed  ? 
They  had  bargained  for  a  betrayal,  they  had  paid  the 
price,  and  what  more  had  they  to  do  with  it  ?  Judas 
saw  at  once  with  what  characters  he  had  to  deal.  He 
could  hope  to  impart  none  of  his  own  repentings  to 
them.  He  could  set  in  motion  no  means  to  '  recover 
Jesus  from  the  cruelty  that  was  about  to  scourge  and 
crucify  him,  and,  desperate  with  anguish,  he  threw 
upon  the  floor  of  the  temple  the  accursed  silver,  and 
rushed  out  and  horridly  died. 

The  ciders  and  priests,  with  a  flexible  conscience, 


NO    SYMPATHY   AMONG   THE   GUILTY.  43 

gathered  up  the  silver,  and  said  it  was  not  lawful  to 
put  the  money  into  the  treasury,  because  it  was  the 
price  of  blood.  They  bought  with  it  a  piece  of 
ground  for  a  burial-place  for  strangers — the  Potter's 
Field,  which,  by  reason  of  the  source  from  whence 
the  price  came,  was  called  "The  field  of  blood." 
And  thus  was  it  called  at  the  time  Matthew  wrote  his 
Gospel. 

The  answer  of  these  priests  and  elders  to  Judas  is 
worthy  of  our  attention. 

"What  is  that  tons?  see  thou  to  that."  How 
could  he  see  to  it  ?  He  had  no  power  to  act — no  in- 
fluence. He  could  only  see  to  it — his  sin — as  it  stood 
before  him  an  overwhelming  shadow,  and  in  the  utter 
darkness  of  which  he  died. 

We  condemn  these  priests  and  elders.  We  utter 
strong  words  against  them ;  and  it  is  well.  We  do 
but  obey  the  simplest  moral  sense  in  so  doing.  But 
do  we  do  it  as  a  matter  of  principle,  ready  to  see  the 
principle  as  it  may  be  involved  in  matters  of  business, 
in  the  daily  commerce  of  man  with  man  ?  I  fear 
there  are  many  who  have  purchased  the  betrayal  of 
innocence,  and  who  disavow  responsibility  for  the 
agency  they  created. 

No  precept  deserves  more  to  be  pondered  than  that 
which  the  apostle  gave,  where,  in  speaking  of  hastily 
introducing  a  person  into  the  sacked  office,  he  says, 
"Be  not  partakers  of  other  men's  sins."  How  much 
unheeded  is  this  !  And  yet  how  common  is  the  re- 
mark, that  the  most  guilty,  in  perfecting  some  swind- 
ling or  thieving  expedition,  are  apt  to  escape,  and 


44  NO    SYMPATHY   AMONG   THE   GUILTY. 

the  immediate  instruments  are  detected.  By  this 
form  of  expression  we  recognize  the  true  principle, 
we  assert  the  guiltiness  of  those  who  furnish  the  mo- 
tives to  wickedness,  who  stand  back  and  cheer  on 
those  who  brave  tlie  danger.  But  too  little  is  thought 
of  this  class.  Judas  is  denounced.  His  utter  mis- 
ery, through  unending  ages,  is  declared  to  be  certain, 
and  men  hate  his  name,  and  abhor  his  memory.  But 
the  guilt  of  priests  and  elders — what  is  said  of  that  ? 
Little,  very  little.  Hundreds  of  sermons  echo  the 
iniquity  of  Judas,  and  his  repentance,  his  tears  and 
death,  are  but  little  considered  ;  but  the  malicious  in- 
difference of  the  priests  and  elders  has  no  vivid  paint- 
ing by  the  rhetoric  of  the  pulpit,  and  the  great  lesson 
of  their  cool  wickedness  is  too  much  passed  by. 

If  by  our  influence  a  man  works  out  good,  we  take 
praise  to  ourselves  according  to  the  measure  of  influ- 
ence we  think  we  exerted ;  and  this  is  right.  We 
honor  the  man  whose  advice  and  encouragement  have 
secured  good  to  others,  and  we  envy  the  happiness  of 
those  who  have  great  power  over  others  for  good- 
power  to  persuade  to  virtuous  resolves  and  deeds, 
whose  presence  seems  a  spirit  of  success,  and  whose 
smile  is  more  than  the  applause  of  the  crowd. 

But  the  reverse  of  this  is  just  as  reasonable.  If  a 
man  employs  his  influence  for  evil ;  if  he  puts  tempt- 
ation in  the  way  of  evil  doers ;  if  he  furnishes  the 
silver  for  a  Judas  wlio  is  to  perform  the  act,  there  is 
no  reasoning  that  can  free  him  from  the  guilt  of  the 
transaction.  We  do  not  accuse  the  last  actor  in  the 
finale  of  an  iniquitous  drama,  as  though  he  was  the 


NO   SYMPATHY   AMONG   THE   GUILTY.  45 

only  guilty  one,  but  we  call  into  judgment  the  whole 
of  the  characters  in  the  vile  play. 

Tliis  is  the  method  of  God. 

AVhen  Adam  attempted  to  throw  off  the  sin  he  had 
committed,  and  accused  Eve,  and  Eve  accused  the 
serpent,  God  made  them  both  to  feel  the  terror  of  his 
judgment. 

When  the  cities  of  the  plain  were  denounced,  the 
worth  of  the  influence  of  a  few  is  seen  in  the  offer, 
that  if  ten  righteous  persons  could  be  found  in  the 
cities,  should  the  cities  be  saved. 

When  Nathan  came  to  David,  he  denounced  him  as 
a  murderer  ;  not  because  his  hand  had  slain  the  devo- 
ted Uriah,  but  because  his  letter  to  Joab  led  Joab  to 
place  Uriah  in  the  fore-front  of  the  battle,  in  the  hot- 
test of  the  fight,  that  he  might  surely  be  killed. 

And  so  when  Ahab  desired  the  possession  of  Na- 
both's  vineyard,  though  Jezebel,  his  wife,  performed 
all  the  work  that  led  to  the  death  of  Naboth,  and  the 
confiscation  of  the  vineyard  to  king  Ahab,  yet  he  had 
no  sooner  stepped  in  to  possess  the  vineyard,  than  he 
lifted  his  eyes  and  beheld  the  prophet  Elijah,  and 
cried  only,  "0,  mine  enemy,  hast  thou  found  me?" 
"I  have  found  thee,"  was  the  answer,  ''because  thou 
hast  sold  thyself  to  work  evil  in  the  sight  of  the 
Lord." 

And  so  throughout  the  Bible,  wherever  influence 
has  been  exerted  to  promote  an  evil  work,  there  the 
Almighty  fastens  his  judgment.  As  evil  is  committed 
into  other  hands,  the  transmission  docs  not  cleanse 
the  hand  that  transmits  it ;  and  if  the  bold  criminal 


46  NO   SYMPATHY  AMONG  THE  GVTLTY. 

asks,  "What  is  that  tome?"  when  the  preparation 
for  sin  has  ripened  into  the  infamous  deed,  God's 
reply  answers  the  fooUsh  soul  and  convicts  it  of  trans- 
gression. 

It  took  but  one  to  put  Joseph  into  the  pit,  and  but 
one  was  needed  to  bargain  with  the  Ishmaelites  ;  yet 
all  the  brethren  felt  the  guilt. 

I  could  wish  that  this  important  matter  might  be 
solemnly  pondered.  I  fear  there  are  many  who  do 
not  regard  as  they  should  the  responsibility  which 
presses  upon  them  by  virtue  of  their  influence  over 
others. 

Where  we  have  thrown  our  weight  of  influence, 
we  are  bound  to  be  interested  in  the  issue ;  the  issue 
is  partly  ours ;  and  so  far  as  our  aid  has  fashioned 
it,  we  must  take  glory  or  shame  to  ourselves. 

It  was  not  simply  the  money  that  influenced  Judas, 
by  any  means.  It  was  doubtless  the  position  and  inflnr- 
ence  of  the  high  priests  and  elders  that  gave  force  to 
their  offer. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  the  details  of  that 
transaction — how  the  scruples  of  Judas  were  met, 
what  promises  were  made,  what  assurances  were 
given,  what  patronage  was  offered. 

But  we  can  imagine  it  all.  History  abounds  with 
such  matters,  and  even  around  us,  in  daily  life,  in 
religion,  politics,  business,  friend  sells  friend  far 
cheaper  than  Judas  sold  Jesus.  The  bond  of  honor, 
that  ouglit  to  be  better  than  gold,  is  as  nothing  ;  and 
the  confiding,  the  truthful,  the  frank  and  friendly, 
find  themselves  often  grievously  betrayed.     Private 


NO   SYMPATHY   AMONG  THE  GUILTY.  47 

friendship  receives  the  utterance  that  only  friendsliip 
could  be  entitled  to,  and  transmits  the  communica- 
tion where  it  knows  it  will  be  perverted,  misapplied, 
abused.  Evils,  great  in  magnitude,  result ;  and  all 
that  the  guilty  one  has  to  say  is,  "What  is  that  to 
me  ?  see  thou  to  that."  It  would  be  well  to  so  see  to 
it  as  to  remember  the  lesson,  and  deal  with  men  ac- 
cording to  their  likeness  or  unlikeness  to  the  double- 
sided,  two-tongued,  flexible  conscience  chief  priests 
and  elders. 

But  let  us  consider  the  second  suggestion  of  our 
text — the  miserable  dependence  of  the  guilty  on  the 
sympathy  of  their  companions  in  guilt.  We  hear  a 
great  deal  about  ''  honor  among  thieves,"  but  it  is  a 
thieving  kind  of  honor.  What  lessons  of  history  are 
plainer  to  the  point  than  those  which  teach  the  miser- 
able dependence  of  the  guilty  on  the  sympathy  of 
those  who  have  wrought  with  them  in  sin  ? 

See  a  band  of  rogues  surprised  in  their  work  of 
darkness,  and  who  is  generally  the  victim?  The 
least  unsuspecting  of  the  whole,  who  has  gone  into 
danger  with  confidence  in  the  ready  sympathy  of  his 
companions  in  guilt.  The  brave  and  terrible  things 
they  promised  to  do,  are  left  undone.     They  are  afar. 

See  for  an  opposite  illustration,  a  band  of  firemen, 
or  mechanics,  or  sailors,  engaged  in  their  honorable 
employment.  Let  one  of  their  number  by  bravery, 
that  ventures  much  for  them,  become  involved  in 
some  danger.  What  heroic  efforts  are  made !  what 
noble  sacrifices  are  witnessed !  what  deeds  are  per- 
formed, which  nothing  but  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
time  and  the  nature  of  the  deed  could  have  inspired. 


48  NO   SYMPATHY  AMONG  THE  GUILTY. 

No  one  is  heard  to  say,  "What  is  that  to  us  ?"  as 
they  see  the  anguish  of  their  workmate.  They  send 
no  insulting  answer — ''See  thou  to  that.*'  They  feel 
a  brother's  interest ;  and  0,  it  is  grand  to  behold  the 
gigantic  labors  which  feebleness  itself  can  perform  to 
show  the  sympathy  of  true  souls. 

We  need  sympathy.  The  changes  of  life,  its  expo- 
sures, the  smallness  of  our  personal  experience,  cre- 
ate demands  for  sympathy.  We  cannot  live  wisely 
and  happily  without  it.  But  our  wisdom  and  our 
happiness  are  in  seeking  sympathy  from  virtuous 
sources.  We  lose  our  strength  as  Samson  lost  his,  if 
we  trust  where  virtue  is  not.  We  tread  on  glass 
easily  broken,  and  springs  of  torture  lie  beneath  the 
brittle  surface.  We  turn  away  to  die  as  poor  Judas 
did.  The  scattered  silver,  the  price  of  sin,  is  as  the 
glittering  fragments  of  a  broken  mirror,  each  portion 
of  which  throws  back  to  our  sight  the  horror  of  a 
disappointed  and  desolate  soul. 

If  Judas  could  have  gained  courage  to  have  thrown 
himself  at  the  Master's  feet  and  craved  forgiveness,  it 
might  have  been  well ;  but  he,  poor  man,  imagined 
that  the  horror  of  his  soul  would  draw  out  sympathy 
for  him  from  priest  and  elders,  and  he  might  bear  to 
his  Master  some  relief  from  his  peril.  But,  alas  for 
him  !  they  threw  by  all  responsibility — sympathy  was 
dead,  and  what  could  he  do  but  die  ? 

What  sympathy  did  she  who  sold  her  innocence  to 
Amnon  find  when  the  fatal  hour  was  past?  And 
how  is  it  now  all  around  us  ?  Wrecks  and  ruins  of 
beauty    and    virtue,    homes   desolated    and    hearts 


NO    SYMPATHY   AMONG   THE   GUILTY.  49 

cruslicd,  grey  hairs  sent  in  sorrow  to  the  grave,  only 
because  the  misguided  trusted  in  sympathy  from  com- 
panions in  guilt. 

The  secret  of  the  chang-e  ivhich  guilt  ivorks  is  not 
understood.  It  is  not  always  that  deliberate  mali- 
ciousness or  recklessness  of  consequences  is  at  work. 
Both  are  deceived.  Guilt  changes  the  whole  ground 
of  thought  and  feeling,  as  in  the  case  of  Amnon, 
who  "hated  Tamar  exceedingly,  so  that  the  hatred 
wherewith  he  hated  her  was  greater  than  the  love 
wherewith  he  had  loved  her."  He  hated  the  memo- 
rial of  his  guilt ;  he  desired  the  absence  of  that  which 
reminded  him  that  he  was  one  of  the  "  fools  in  Israel." 

This  fact  is  but  little  regarded.  Human  nature 
cannot  be  trusted  to  nourish  that  sympathy  in  guilt 
which  only  belongs  to  innocence  and  virtue.  The 
vicious  are  cautious  of  reposing  trust  in  their  guilty 
companions,  but  they  will  pour  out  their  souls  into 
the  good  man's  breast.  Sympathy  comes  purest  and 
truest  from  hearts  that  lie  open  to  heaven,  as  streams 
of  water ;  while  guilty  hearts  are  as  the  stagnant 
pool,  to  drink  of  whose  waters  is  death.  The  soul 
goes  out  from  thence  as  Judas  went  forth  with  the 
fever  of  disappointment,  and  relief  is  found  only  in 
dying  to  all  such  communion  with  wickedness  and  sin. 


SERMON  Y. 


SPIRITUAL  RELATIONSHIP. 

And  he  ATfSWERED  AND  SAID  UNTO  THEM,  MY  MOTHER  AND  MT  BRETHREN 
ARE  THESE  WHICH^HEAR  THE  WORD  OF  GOD  AND  DO  IT. — Luke  viii.  :  21. 

All  four  of  the  Evangelists  have  sketched  the  inci- 
dent with  which  the  text  is  connected,  for  it  presents 
our  Saviour  performing  one  of  those  impulsive  acts 
w^iich  let  the  observer  at  once  into  the  innermost  of 
the  man's  being. 

At  this  time  he  was  surrounded  with  a  great  multi- 
tude, and  was  absorbed  in  teaching  them.  His  mother 
and  brethren  were  outside  the  throng,  and  for  some 
reason  desired  to  approach  him,  imagining,  perhaps, 
that  he  was  going  beyond  his  strength  and  was  in 
danger  of  becoming  fanatical.  Their  desire  was  seen, 
and  from  one  after  another  the  word  went,  till  it  came 
to  Jesus  and  he  was  told  that  his  mother  and  brethren 
desired  to  speak  with  him.  At  this  he  stretched  forth 
his  hands,  and  gazing  around  him,  exclaimed,  "  Who 
is  my  mother  and  my  brethren !     My  naother  and  my 


SPIRITUAL   RELATIONSHIP.  51 

brethren  are  these  which  hear  the  word  of  God  and 
do  it." 

There  is  notliing  that  bespeaks  a  noble  and  generous 
nature  more  than  these  sudden  onsets  of  feeling  that 
sweep  through  the  world  to  seek  and  embrace  what- 
ever is  kindred  with  itself.  Spiritual  relationship  is 
highest  and  best.  It  is  kindredness  of  soul.  It  is  an 
affinity  of  mind  that  travels  on  from  men  to  angels, 
and,  through  all  possible  ranks  of  Spirits  as  one 
family,  to  Christ  and  God.  It  longs  for  companion- 
ship and  cannot  bear  to  be  cooped  up  in  any  narrow- 
ness, nor  to  have  it  thought  that  it  loves  the  few 
without  regard  to  the  many. 

Something  like  this  was,  perhaps,  the  experience  of 
Jesus  when  he  uttered  the  text.  Glowing  with  the 
great  truths  of  his  mission  he  desired  the  best  thought 
of  who  were  kindred  with  him  —  that  like  father  or 
mother,  brother  or  sister,  seemed  to  him  each  soul 
that  looked  as  he  looked  on  the  things  of  Duty  and 
Hope.  To  hear  God's  word  and  to  do  it,  created  a 
unity  most  sublime  ;  and  to  this  the  heart  could  look 
amid  all  contrariety  of  opinion  and  creeds,  as  some- 
thing genial  and  pleasant,  as  the  open  Arctic  sea  must 
have  loomed  up  to  those  of  the  Kane  Expedition  who 
beheld  it  amid  a  world  of  icebergs. 

And  may  we  not  catch  this  spirit  of  sympathy  with 
the  good  and  true  of  all  sects  and  parties  and  have 
our  resort  for  comfort  when  the  narrowness  of  sect  is 
too  much  about  us  —  when  it  galls  like  fetters,  and 
seems  to  make  the  domain  we  occupy  too  small  a  place 
to  breathe  in  ?     If  we  have  not  any  tiling  of  this  impul- 


52  SPIRITUAL   RELATIONSHIP. 

sive  breaking  forth  from  a  part  to  the  whole,  if  we 
have  no  desire  to  see  any  spiritual  unity  where  there 
is  dogmatic  difference,  and  insist  on  making  a  frag- 
ment of  the  Church  all  the  Church  to  us,  —  then  we 
have  yet  to  learn  the  noljle  and  generous  nature  of 
Clu'ist.  His  character  must  remain  like  some  magni- 
ficent work  of  Art  before  one  whose  eye  can  read  but 
little  of  its  excellence.  It  could  be  lioped  that  they 
are  few  who  thus  live  in  the  smallest  circles,  girdled 
with  contracting  narrowness. 

For  myself  I  love  to  see  new  evidences  of  spiritual 
unity  amid  dogmatic  differences  ;  and  it  appears  to 
me  that  there  is  one  basis  of  union  too  little  appreci- 
ated —  I  mean,  The  Character  of  Christ.  They  are 
as  our  mother  and  our  brethren  who  pay  homage 
there  —  who  thrill  as  we  do  at  Christ's  great  acts  of 
divine  mercy,  and  looking  from  one  point  of  view, 
with  one  interpreting  heart,  say,  "  He  hath  done  all 
things  well."  This  recognition  of  Christ  as  the 
Moral  Image  of  God,  forms  a  sublime  unity  in  Chris- 
tendom. 

Though  it  has  not  prevented  corruptions  of  his 
religion,  yet  it  has  been  its  best  preservative  and  is 
constantly  a  most  efficient  reformer  of  dogmatic 
abuses,  as  when  nothing  could  be  preached  against 
the  voluptuous  Pope  pretending  to  be  Christ's  vicar, 
two  pictures  were  painted,  presenting  the  simplicity 
of  Jesus  and  the  splendor  of  the  Papacy,  and  crowds 
gatliered  to  see.  As  His  touch  healed  the  ear  wliich 
Peter's  sword  had  severed,  so  his  character  comes  in 
amid  the  pursuasion  of  his  words  to  impart  the  inter- 
preting spirit. 


SPIRITUAL   RELATIONSHIP.  53 

It  is  a  great  thing  to  be  able  to  stretch  forth  our 
hands  and  point  to  the  more  numerous  spiritual  kind- 
red than  gather  in  our  own  home,  as  we  thus  turn  to 
the  universal  homage  to  the  Spiritual  Jesus.  In  one 
sense,  already,  as  far  as  known,  all  knees  are  bowed 
in  homage  to  his  excellence,  and  the  heart  feels  his 
searching  eye  resting  ou  its  sin,  demanding  that  we 
be  pure  as  he  is  pure. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  well  to  give  a  few  moments  to 
consider  how  valuable  to  us  is  this  greater  than  sec- 
tarian kindred  in  Christ. 

In  the  first  place.  What  a  mighty  influence  ahvays 
comes  with  the  fact  that  ages  have  contributed  to  build 
up  the  fame  of  some  great  soul.  To  us  it  is  like  some 
of  the  wonderful  cathedrals  of  the  Old  World  whose 
building,  century  after  century,  was  an  act  of  faith 
and  worship.  The  creed  and  liturgy  of  the  cathe- 
dral, however  we  may  object  to  them,  do  not  prevent 
our  recognition  of  the  identity  of  faith,  the  true  de- 
votion, the  lofty  aspiration  which  kept  on  building  up 
the  great  thought  of  the  soul  that  would  build  to  God, 
till  the  pinnacles  glitter  in  the  one  light  of  the  sun  as 
the  foundations  rest  on  the  same  earth  that  sustains 
us  all. 

A  certain  intellectual  sceptic  once  set  up  a  country- 
man of  his  as  more  perfect  than  Christ ;  but  how 
unlike  must  be  his  experience  in  the  use  of  his  ideal 
of  excellence  to  that  of  the  Christian  who  sees  mil- 
lions of  eyes  streaming  with  a  common  reverence  to 
one  point,  and  beholds  there  the  Being  towards  whom 
has  flowed  the  best  love  of  the  best  souls  for  eighteen 
6* 


54  SPIRITUAL   RELATIONSEIP. 

centuries  !  How  painful  to  contemplate  excellence  in 
utter  loneliness,  —  to  be  conscious  of  no  heart  beating 
any  where  as  ours  beats,  and  that  the  perfection  of 
beauty  to  us  is  no  perfection  to  any  one  else.  But 
not  so  with  the  Christian.  He  lays  his  ear,  as  it  were, 
at  the  tube  of  the  great  wliispering  gallery  of  the 
past,  and  the  names  of  Christ  are  syllabled  all  along 
the  centuries  as  the  echoes  of  an  undying  song.  The 
homage  of  millions  comes  swelling  and  deepening, 
and  his  heart  is  thrilled  as  it  could  not  be  with  any 
less  general  strain .  James  Martineau  has  well  written, 
that  "  the  established  power  of  a  soul  over  multitudes 
of  others,  —  its  historic  greatness,  its  productiveness 
through  season  after  season  of  this  world,  in  the  fruits 
of  sanctity,  must  inevitably  enter  as  an  element  of 
our  veneration."  This  is  too  little  thought  of ;  and 
because  of  this  indifference,  religious  controversies 
have  made  the  Christian  world  seem  as  divided  in 
heart  as  in  creed. 

The  early  disciples  did  not  feed  their  homage  of 
their  Master  with  simply  what  he  was  as  he  acted 
before  them,  but  they  brought  from  the  prophecies  a 
light  and  glory  which  made  him  appear  the  Man  of 
the  Ages ;  as  thus  to  us  he  assumes  a  peculiar  moral 
greatness  as  we  see  in  him  the  Christ  of  the  centuries, 
every  where  owned  as  the  image  of  God. 

Again  :  When  we  stand  in  our  sectarian  lot,  criti- 
cising the  creeds  which  we  believe  are  but  perverted 
Christianity,  there  seems  to  be  no  possible  chance  of 
union,  so  radically  opposite  are  the  chief  points  of 


SPIRITUAL   RELATIONSHIP.  S<5 

doctrine  and  discipline ;  but  when  we  rise  above  all 
walls  of  partition  and  look  over  the  vast  field  to  see 
how  the  character  of  Christ  fares,  we  see  at  once 
there  is  union  and  there  may  be  more. 

This  is  like  going  from  the  irritation  occasioned  by- 
some  song  that  wakes  all  kinds  of  tempers  and  moods 
in  an  audience,  to  the  delight  occasioned  by  another 
that  makes  all  souls  kindred  and  summons  applause 
from  all.  Here  is  something  superior  to  all  the  rest, 
for  that  which  sounds  the  universal  heart  —  that  lays 
at  the  base  line  of  its  electric  current,  and  brings 
from  all  the  same  response,  must  be  the  greatest. 
We  thus  see  one  moral  nature,  and  demonstrated  is 
the  fact,  that  there  are  univeisal  sentiments  in 
Christendom,  and  however  strange  it  may  seem,  the 
many  sects  in  the  one  Church  do,  really,  stand  around 
Christ,  as  "  a  belt  of  mirrors  round  a  single  flame." 
Is  there  not  encouragement  in  this  ?  Can  it  be  that 
creeds  will  always  be  so  diverse  while  the  minds  that 
maintain  them  cherish  such  a  moral  unity  ? 

And  is  it  not  sweet  to  think  that  even  Christians 
denying  the  one  to  the  otlier,  the  Christian  name, 
after  all,  may  be  one  in  spirit !  Gliding  away  from 
dogmatic  controversies,  and  dwelling  it  may  be  on 
some  Christian  picture  or  statuary,  they  look  alike, 
they  talk  alike,  and  for  the  while  there  is  the  intercom- 
munication of  tender  and  harmonious  feeling,  notwith- 
standing the  picture  or  statuary  may  be  suggestive  of 
knotty  points  in  the  controversies  of  the  Church.  What 
is  the  source  of  more  oppositions  in  doctrine  then  the 
crucifixion,  and  yet  how  alike  do  all  the  varieties  of  con- 


56  SPIEITUAL   RELATIONSHIP. 

trovertists  receive  the  moral  sentiment  of  Christ  on 
the  Cross  !  And  is  it  not  a  dear  thought,  that  they 
all  bear  away  from  the  sight  of  the  touching  picture 
or  symbol  of  our  Redeemer's  sufferings  and  glory, 
like  feelings  of  tender  reverence  and  aspiring  love ; 
and  may  it  not  be  good  for  us  to  remember  that  such 
things  were  when  it  seems  as  though  there  could  be 
nothing  in  common  among  the  contending  characters. 

Still  farther :  We  are  indebted  for  the  best  aids  to 
religious  meditation  to  the  spirit  that  has  wrought 
when  it  felt  the  greater  kindred,  and  thought  more  of 
humanity  than  of  sects  and  party.  How  ditferant  — 
how  superior  is  that  literature  which  has  been  written 
for  the  classes  embraced  in  the  moral  unity,  in  dis- 
tinction from  the  Church  unity  !  What  a  breadth  of 
view,  what  a  sweep  of  thought,  what  nobleness  of 
candor,  what  a  richness  of  material,  what  a  geniality 
and  glow  of  soul,  is  there  in  contrast  with  the  secta- 
rian author  !  In  this  spirit  Church  History  is  now, 
in  some  degree,  written  ;  and  the  consequence  is,  that 
instead  of  dry,  repulsive  details  concerning  strifes 
and  divisions,  with  little  or  no  insight  to  the  real 
matters  of  interest,  we  find  a  living  picture  of  the 
struggles  of  the  human  mind  for  the  best  expression 
of  its  religious  nature  and  culture.  What  a  vast 
library  of  Christian  books  —  books  in  which  Christ  is 
morally  venerated,  we  can  gather  from  the  writings  of 
those  who  would,  perhaps,  scorn  our  liberal  creed ; 
and  yet  there  would  be  nothing  in  tliose  books  to 
reject,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  we  should  feel  the  pre- 


SPIRITUAL  RELATIONSHIP. 


ST 


sence  of  a  co-operating  spirit.  In  all  our  homes  are 
works  of  this  character.  By  onr  estimate  of  them  we 
own  our  kindred  in  spirit  in  the  author ;  and  when 
we  pass  from  these  works  to  the  theology  of  the  same 
authors,  it  seems  like  a  discussion  of  differences  with 
our  brother,  and  our  tone  of  criticism  will  be  better 
tempered  from  that  fact. 

But  once  more  :  How  this  greater  kindred  in  Christ 
reveals  itself  in  the  chamber  of  death  !  There  the 
debates  and  discussions  of  theology  lose  their  charm, 
and  the  soul  cries,  "  If  thou  be  Christ,  bid  me  to 
come  unto  thee !"  and  feels  most  the  reality  when  the 
hand  of  Jesus  saves  him  from  sinking  in  the  fearful 
waves.  There  the  soul  says,  like  Howard,  "  My  Hope 
is  in  Christ,"  and  wants  to  deal  in  no  metaphysics 
concerning  his  nature  and  rank  ;  and  they  who  have 
fought  the  boldest  and  bravest  for  creeds,  and  those 
who  have  marked  out  a  severe  form  of  sanctity  as 
essential  to  hope,  have  alike  dropped  their  last  anchor 
into  the  universal  sentiment  of  Christ  as  the  image  of 
Divine  Love.  Once  a  dying  neighbor,  with  whom  I 
was  familiar,  but  who  never  entered  my  church,  sent 
for  me,  and  as  I  entered  the  room  where  she  was 
breathing  her  last,  she  stretched  her  hand  to  me  and 
said,  "  In  this  hour  we  are  one  —  there's  no  differ- 
ence." She  meant  no  difference  of  creed,  for  the 
soul  rested  only  on  the  universal  sentiment  towards 
the  Redeemer.  I  ministered  by  prayer  and  word  to 
her,  and,  by  her  request,  conversed  till  the  ear  was 
too  dull  to  hear  and  the  delicate  frame  was  rigid. 


68  SPIRITUAL   EELATIONIHIP. 

And  who  does  not  know  scenes  like  these,  and  where 
can  you  look  into  the  biographies  of  Christians  with- 
out multiplying  evidences  that  a  beautiful  unity  lives 
amid  all  our  diversities  —  a  unity  towards  which  we 
should  stretch  our  hands  not  only  in  acknowledge- 
ment of  our  kindred,  but  also  in  prayer  to  Heaven 
that  we  may  value  more  the  holy  comfort,  the 
strengthening  encouragement,  and  the  divine  fervor 
which  spring  therefrom. 


SERMON  YI. 


INVISIBLE    BENEFACTORS. 

For  he  that  was  healed  wist  not  who  it  was. — John  v.,  13. 

That  is,  he  knew  not  who  it  was  that  had  healed 
him. 

The  healer  was  really  Jesus,  and  by  his  method  of 
procedure  he  threw  not  a  little  of  dramatic  interest 
around  this  incident — his  design  evidently  being  to 
draw  out  the  character  of  the  Jewish  leaders,  and 
demonstrate  that  they  cared  more  for  ceremony  than 
for  man. 

The  incident  with  which  the  text  is  connected  took 
place  at  the  time,  probably,  of  the  Feast  of  Taberna- 
cles, when  Jerusalem  wore  a  peculiarly  rural  appear- 
ance, in  consequence  of  the  multitudes  dwelling  in 
tents  or  booths  made  of  the  branches  of  trees,  in 
memory  of  the  fathers  in  the  wilderness.  Jesus  min- 
gled in  the  mighty  throng  unknown.  He  walked  as 
one  of  the  mass,  an  obselwer,  not  the  observed ;  and 
as  he  took  his  way  by  the   pool   of  Bethesda,  he 


60  INVISIBLE  BENEFACTORS. 

noticed  the  multitudes  of  diseased  people  who  lay  iii 
the  porches  around  the  water,  waiting  for  its  moving, 
it  evidently  being  a  medicinal  spring,  whose  flowing 
was  intermittent. 

At  certain  times  the  waters  bubbled  up  from  some 
chemical  cause,  and  whoever  bathed  in  them  first, 
received  great  benefit  from  them. 

The  commotion  of  the  waters  was  attributed  to  the 
descent  of  an  angel,  from  whose  wing  was  imparted 
a  healing  virtue.  This  idea,  it  may  be,  originated 
from  the  mystery  at  that  time  encompassing  the  cause 
of  the  medicinal  virtues  of  the  waters ;  or  from  the 
proneness  of  the  Jews  to  attribute  every  uncommon 
effect  to  the  ministry  of  angels,  so  that  the  Law  given 
direct  to  Moses,  was  by  them  said  to  have  been  given 
by  the  ministry  of  angels. 

As  Jesus  looked  on  the  groups  about  the  pool, 
many  of  the  poor  expectant  souls  being  accompanied 
by  some  person  to  aid  them  to  enter  the  waters  the 
moment  they  began  to  move,  he  saw  one  lonely  crea- 
ture, whom  he  had  known  to  have  been  baffled  many 
times  in  attempting  to  get  amid  the  charmed  bubbles, 
and  to  this  most  pitiful  of  all  expectants  Jesus 
addressed  himself,  and  asked,  "  Wilt  thou  be  made 
whole  ?"  Supposing  the  reference  to  be  made  to  the 
virtue  of  the  waters,  the  man  answered  that  he  was 
baffled,  like  many  a  soul  in  the  every-day  affairs  of 
life — some  one  steps  in  before  him,  and  the  kiss  of 
Fortune  is  taken. 

He  had  no  one  to  lift  him  up  and  put  him  into  the 
water  when  it  was  troubled,  and  while  he  was  crawl- 


INVISIBLE   BENEFACTORS.  61 

ing  to  the  steps,  a  more  favored  one  stepped  off  into 
the  buoyant  waves,  and  shook  off  his  languor  and 
ilhiess  in  the  friendly  waters,  joyous  as  the  glad  swim- 
mer in  the  summer  time,  when  his  stroke 

"  Flings  the  billows  back  from  his  drenched  hair, 
And  laughing  from  his  lip  the  audacious  brine, 
Which  kissed  it  like  a  wine-cup,  rising  o'er 
The  waves  as  they  arose,  and  prouder  still, 
The  loftier  they  upHfted  him." 

A  pitiful  condition  was  that  of  him  who  had  seen, 
time  after  time,  the  healed  go  forth  leaving  him  still 
expectant,  with  hope  deferred  that  maketli  the  heart 
sick. 

To  this  man  Jesus  spoke — "Take  up  thy  bed  and 
walk" — and  departed. 

Immediately  wholeness  came,  and  the  man,  with 
his  little  bed,  a  mere  cushion,  was  walking  at  ease. 
He  was  an  object  of  public  charity — well  known,  and 
his  appearance  now  was  something  for  remark. 

Instead  of  giving  him  joy,  the  Jews  showed  that 
form  was  more  than  substance^  and  so  they  gravely 
told  him  that  as  it  was  the  Sabbath,  it  was  not  lawful 
for  him  to  carry  any  burden. 

Doubtless  the  man  had  not  thought  of  any  thing 
but  using  the  new  life  which  coursed  through  his 
veins,  as  he  was  hastening  to  the  Temple  to  pay  wor- 
ship to  the  great  Source  of  all  good.  His  answer  was 
to  the  point — ''He  that  made  me  whole,  the  same  said 
unto  me,  Take  up  thy  bed  and  walk." 

Would  that  all  of  us  were  as  ready  to  do  the  com- 
mandments of  Him  who  has,  by  his  truth  and  life, 
6 


62  INVISIBLE  BENEFACTOES. 

healed  us  of  many  an  error,  many  a  sickness  of  heart 
and  soul ! 

Whether  the  skeptic  can  see  it  or  not,  the  vaduwfelt 
there  was  some  connection  between  Miracle  and  Com- 
mandment, and  instinctively  he  used  what  the  mira- 
cle gave,  to  do  what  the  Miracle-Worker  commanded. 

But  who  was  it  that  had  healed  him  ?  Whose  word 
had  been  so  potent  ?  He  could  not  tell.  It  is  doubt- 
ful whether  the  man  had  strength  to  look  up  when  he 
answered  the  question  of  Jesus,  "Wilt  thou  be  made 
whole  ?"  Despondency  was  in  his  reply.  He  had  no 
one  to  help  him.  Somebody  had  always  proved  more 
fortunate  than  he,  and  with  a  downcast  look  he  still 
sat  and  mourned. 

Jesus  spoke  and  departed,  as  a  star  shoots  its  light 
and  vanishes. 

In  his  surprise,  the  poor  man  had  no  glimpse  of 
his  Benefactor,  and  so  he  takes  his  way  at  once  to  the 
place  of  worship,  there  to  offer  some  token  of  his 
gratitude  for  the  blessing  received. 

It  was  in  the  Temple  where  Jesus  met  him  again ; 
and  as  there  was  no  mistaking  the  tones  of  that 
voice,  the  healed  one,  relieved  of  an  infirmity  he  had 
suffered  thirty-eight  years,  knew  his  Benefactor,  and 
received  this  admonition:  "Behold,  thou  art  made 
whole ;  sin  no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  come  unto  thee." 

And  then,  with  the  generosity  of  a  soul  that  thinks 
more  of  gratitude  than  of  all  opposition,  the  man 
went  forth  and  proclaimed  that  it  was  Jesus  who  had 
made  him  whole. 

Now  the  point  that  at  present  seems  to  me  very 


INVISIBLE  BENEFACTORS.  63 

suggestive,  is  this.  How  modified  must  have  been 
the  happiness  of  that  man  had  he  been  kept  in  ignor- 
ance of  his  benefactor. 

Of  course,  at  the  first,  the  pleasure  of  relief  from 
an  infirmity  he  had  endured  nearly  forty  years  would 
overcome  all  other  feelings  ;  but  when  this  was  past — 
when  sober  thought  took  the  place  of  mere  emotion ; 
when  he  meditated  on  the  past,  as  we  all  do  more  or 
less,  he  could  not  but  be  haunted  with  the  desire  to 
know  who  was  his  friend  in  the  great  hour  of  need, 
and  whose  word  was  better  than  any  arm  on  which 
others  had  leaned  as  they  stepped  into  the  pool. 

A  weight  must  have  been  at  his  heart  when  he 
could  not  tell  who  had  befriended  him,  and  he  must 
have  gazed  around  him,  as  he  went  from  place  to 
place,  to  see  if  some  token  might  not  reveal  his  invisi- 
ble benefactor. 

If  this  is  not  a  probable  picture  of  the  man,  then 
he  was  selfish  indeed.  His  heart  was  still  impotent, 
his  spirit  needed  a  moral  bath  to  invigorate  its  pulses 
of  gratitude. 

But  let  us  be  cautious  in  this  judgment,  for  this 
man  is  a  representative  man.  More  or  less  he  stands 
for  every  one  of  us. 

Humanity,  part  and  parcel  of  which  are  we,  has 
many  a  time  laid  impotent.  The  pool  of  society  has 
been  moved,  has  been  troubled  by  one  angel  after 
another,  and  all  the  benefit  has  been  taken  by  the 
privileged  ones.  They  have  stepped  down  before  the 
poor  commoners  could  move  because  they  had  so 
much  help.     And  who  has  done  the  best  things  for 


64  INVISIBLE  BENEFACTORS. 

humanity  but  those  who,  Christ-like,  have  stood  out- 
side the  charmed  circle, — who  have  made  original 
effort,  and  helped  where  there  was  none  to  help. 

All  places  are  haunted  by  the  spirits  of  such.  The 
poet  has  rightly  said : 

"  All  houses  wherein  men  have  lived  and  died 
Are  haunted  houses.     Through  the  open  doors 

The  harmless  phantoms  on  their  errands  glide, 
With  feet  that  make  no  sound  upon  the  floors. 

We  meet  them  at  the  doorway,  on  the  stair, 

Along  the  passages  th?y  come  and  go  ; 
Impalpable  impressions  on  the  air, 

A  sense  of  something  moving  to  and  fro. 

And  as  the  moon  from  some  dark  gate  of  cloud 
Throws  o'er  the  sea  a  floating  bridge  of  light. 

Across  whose  trembling  planks  our  fancies  crowd. 
In  the  realm  of  mystery  and  night ; 

So  from  the  world  of  spirits  there  descends 

A  bridge  of  light,  connecting  it  with  this, 
O'er  whose  unsteady  floor  that  sways  and  bends, 

Wander  our  thoughts  above  the  dark  abyss." 

And  shall  we  let  them  go  to  mingle  among  invisi- 
ble things  ?  Shall  we  not  ask  after  them,  try  to  dis- 
cern their  merits,  and  see  them,  as  it  were,  coming 
out  like  glorious  shades  from  the  dimness,  wearing 
the  beauty  of  goodness  and  the  glory  of  truth  upon 
their  brows  ?  Shall  we  not  rise  to  their  coronation, 
and  celebrate  their  greatness  with  triumph  ?  There 
are  more  invisible  benefactors  than  we  can  ever  know. 

It  should  be  the  endeavor  of  every  person  to  know 


INVISIBLE  BENEFACTORS.  65 

as  far  as  he  can  his  Benefactors  —  to  add  to  the  visible 
friends  of  his  progress,  the  invisible  —  to  know  what  a 
vast  assemblage  is  that  of  the  contributors  to  all  that 
is  liberal,  progressive  and  humanizhig  in  the  laws, 
institutions  and  customs  of  society.  A  marked  dis- 
tinction between  the  past  and  the  present  in  reference 
to  History  is,  it  is  now  read  rather  for  the  pictorial 
power  by  which  the  world's  story  seems  like  a  pano- 
rama, than  for  acquaintance  with  the  Benefactors  of 
Humanity  —  the  men  who  in  the  hour  of  social  im- 
potency  spake  the  word,  or  did  the  deed  of  healing. 
The  consequence  is,  there  is  less  valuation  put  on  the 
blessings  we  enjoy  than  would  otherwise  be  the  case. 
It  is  one  thing  to  be  free  from  an  old  infirmity,  and 
quite  another  to  know  the  Divine  Agent  that  accom- 
plished the  work.  The  latter  knowledge  may  present 
the  return  of  the  infirmity,  or  the  approach  of  some- 
thing worse. 

And,  therefore,  I  deem  those  who  speak  of  accept- 
ing all  the  good  there  is  in  the  world  without  regard 
to  men  or  names  as  the  foes  of  society.  They  care 
not  who  did  this  or  that ;  they  will  not  quarrel  over 
rival  claims  ;  they  will  take  the  product  of  human 
toil  as  coolly,  as  they  take  any  refreshment,  and  are 
really  relieved  by  the  invisibility  of  the  doer.  This 
runs  into  the  things  of  every  day  life,  and  we  find 
genius  and  talent  feeding  indolence  and  luxury,  and 
men  grasp  the  benefaction  and  turn  away  from  the 
Benefactor. 

Our  times  demand  more  of  attention  to  the  great 
Healers  of  humanity. 
6* 


66  INVISIBLE  BENEFACTORS. 

Young  men  should  be  called  to  the  study  of  their 
country's  history,  that  they  may  know  how  to  fill  up 
the  present  with  the  glory  of  the  past  — how  to  invoke 
from  their  obscurity  the  benefactors  of  mankind  who 
served  Liberty,  who  made  life  the  glorious  thing  it 
now  is,  and  catch  the  spirit  of  their  self-denial  and 
heroism. 

And  thus  will  it  be  seen  how  we  are  linked  to  the 
land  of  our  forefathers,  and  through  what  noble  souls, 
that  never  dreamed  of  this  Union,  have  come  down  to 
us  invaluable  benefactors.  There  is  nothing  more 
sublime  in  the  visions  of  thought  than  the  crowding 
Irom  all  ages  into  the  horizon  of  the  present  the  great 
benefactors  of  humanity.  They  form  an  ocean  before 
which  Bethesda  dwindles  into  nothingness.  God's 
angels  did  indeed  trouble  them.  They  were  moved 
that  healing  from  a  thousand  plagues  might  be 
imparted. 

Men  of  the  Ages!  how  like  phantoms  ye  crowd 
upon  oar  vision  —  how  majestic  is  your  march,  ye 
royal  souls  !  ye  kingly  intellects  !  ye  imperial  hearts  ! 
0  let  us  know  ye  more,  that  we  may  see  from  what 
words  and  deeds  we  have  such  a  Sabbath  as  to-day. 

And  as  emphatically  must  the  call  be  made  to  a 
broader  history  —  the  History  of  the  world,  that  we 
may  know  the  real  progress  which  has  been  made 
through  the  Ages. 

Foremost  in  this  array  comes  the  Bible  —  unparal- 
leled as  a  Book,  and  before  which  the  philosophy  of 
man  is  but  as  the  fire-fly's  lamp  in  contrast  with  the 
noon-day  sun.     Not  by  efforts  to  get  at  every  little 


INVISIBLE   BENEFACTORS.  67 

blemish  —  to  twist  and  turn  every  obscure  passage, 
can  our  Benefactors  in  the  Bible  be  made  to  come  out 
from  their  invisibility.  A  fool  can  babble  at  a  blem- 
ish where  a  wise  man  is  absorbed  in  wonder  at  a  per- 
fection. 

Nothing  is  more  to  be  deplored  than  that  littleness 
of  mind  which  passes  the  stupendous  miracle  to  carp 
and  cavil  at  some  neglect  of  precise  form,  and  that 
asks  that  every  record  of  the  most  magnificent  mar- 
vellous acts  in  all  History  shall  be  given  to  us  per- 
fectly daguerreotyped  without  variation  —  which, 
could  it  be  accomplished,  would  be  rejected  as  manu- 
factured by  collusion  of  minds. 

The  man  that  is  any  thing  for  Humanity  is  a  man 
of  broad  views.  He,  having  greatness  in  his  soul, 
brings  out  greatness  where  it  exists,  like  the  Apostle 
in  the  Epistles  to  the  Hebrews,  when  in  speaking  of 
Faith  and  its  power,  summoning  up  the  vast  army  of 
those  who  had  shown  its  virtue,  till  the  multitude 
became  so  great  he  could  not  name  them. 

Let  us  return  again  to  the  many  of  whom  our  text 
speaks,  and  let  this  be  the  lesson  of  the  hour, —  He 
who  feels  his  infirmity  will  go  to  where  he  has  heard 
of  virtue  being  imparted,  and  there,  it  may  be,  he 
may  find  something  better  than  he  went  for. 

The  most  erroneous  Church  is  better  than  Infidelity. 
Whosoever  heard  of  that  being  a  Bethesda  ?  a  house 
of  Mercy  ? 

Ye  followers  of  Voltaire  and  Hume  and  Paine,  come 
out  from  your  invisibility  and  show  us  the  men  whom 
you  have  made  whole. 


SERMON    YII. 


LABOR  THE  PRICE  OF  EXCELLENCE. 
Am?  Joshua  answered  them,  Ip  thou  be  a  great  people,  then  get 

THEE  UP  TO  the  WOOD   COUNTRY,    AND  CUT  DOWN   FOR  THYSELF  THERE 
IN    THE    LAND    OF    THE     I'ERIZZITES    AND    OP     THE    GIANTS,     IF     MOUNT 

Ephraim  be  too  NARROW  FOR  THEE. — Joshua  xvii.  15. 

This  was  said  to  a  people  who  murmured  against 
the  limit  of  land  granted  them  in  the  division  of  the 
promised  land,  and  is  to  be  used  in  the  present  dis- 
course only  as  suggestive  of  the  fact  that  Labor,  and 
not  Endowment,  is  the  patron  of  Greatness.  All 
uncommon  excellence,  in  every  department  of  human 
effort,  is  to  be  attributed  more  to  laborious  endeavors 
than  to  any  mysterious  gifts  of  genius. 

The  tribe  of  Joseph  came  to  the  successor  of 
Moses  and  considered  themselves  straitened  by  their 
allotment  of  land,  for  they  were,  as  they  said,  a  great 
people.  Joshua  was  no  flatterer,  and  simply  answered 
their  speech  by  bidding  them  show  their  greatness  by 
their  labors — to  enter  the  wood  country  in  the  land 
of  the  Perizzites  and  of  the  giants,  if  Mount  Ephraim 
was  too  narrow  for  them.  "  Cope  with  difficulty,"  he 
seems  to  say,  "  and  that  will  show  your  greatness. 


LABOR  THE  PRICE   OF  EXCELLENCE.  69 

Measure  strength  with  the  Perizzites,  in  their  unwalled 
towns  defended  by  the  valor  that  is  better  than  gates 
of  brass,  and  let  your  axe  swing  and  its  echo  sound 
where  its  conquering  force  shall  be  heard  by  the  ears 
of  the  giants.  Make  your  domain  larger  by  courage- 
ous deeds,  by  determined  endeavors,  and  thus  shall 
your  greatness  be  shown  by  the  conquests  it  achieves." 
This  is  the  voice  of  God's  providence  to  every  soul 
that  has  dreamed  of  greatness,  or  of  the  possession  of 
unfolded  powers  and  abilities.  By  labor  show  your 
talent.  Express  what  you  are  by  what  you  do.  Ge- 
nius is  the  stimulus  of  effort,  rather  than  the  spontane- 
ous activity  of  endowment ;  and  man  is  blinded  to 
the  toil  that  has  procured  the  beautiful  or  astonishing 
results  of  well  directed  art,  because  he  sees  "no  part 
of  study  but  the  grace."  The  blast  that  brought  the 
rough  block  of  marble  from  the  quarry,  he  heard  not ; 
and  inaudible  to  him  were  the  blows  of  the  hammer 
that  clove  portions  of  that  block  away  till  the  rude 
outline  of  a  human  form  was  seen.  And  then  the 
days  and  nights  spent  by  anxious  toil,  with  mallet 
and  chisel,  carving  out  the  embodiment  of  a  beauti- 
ful ideal,  were  not  known ;  and  when  the  product  is 
seen,  it  stands  apart  from  the  labor  that  produced  it, 
as  though  it  had  come  into  existence  like  Minerva 
springing  from  the  brain  of  Jupiter,  or  Venus  rising 
from  the  foam  of  the  sea.  Michael  Angelo  once 
exhibited  a  rare  specimen  of  his  art,  and  it  was  pro- 
nounced beautiful  and  wonderful.  Months  passed, 
and  visitors  saw  nothing  more  in  his  studio,  and  when 
he   was   asked  what  he    had    been   doing,    Angelo 


70  LABOR  THE  PRICE  OF  EXCELLENCE. 

answered  that  he  had  been  at  work  on  the  same 
statue,  reducing  this  feature  and  developing  that; 
and  his  visitors  said  those  were  but  trifles,  and  he 
should  be  engaged  on  something  great.  To  this  he 
replied,  "  Trifles  make  perfection,  and  perfection  itself 
is  no  trifle." 

That  was  a  noble  answer.  Indeed,  genius  may  be 
defined  as  that  power  which  best  magnifies  trifles.  It 
sees  the  worth  of  everything.  It  glorifies  the  small 
because  of  their  relation  to  the  great.  It  goes  search- 
ing for  the  minute,  because  these  are  the  mustard 
seed  from  which  the  tree  with  its  wide  spreading 
branches  is  to  spring.  It  best  imitates  the  God  who 
lets  no  sparrow  fall  without  his  notice,  lest  it  might 
jar  some  nerve  in  the  universe  whose  vibration  might 
be  felt  for  evil  throughout  the  realms  of  matter  and 
spirit. 

The  most  finished  actor  of  our  age,  on  retiring 
from  his  profession,  and  on  receiving  a  public  testi- 
monial as  having  made  the  best  impression  on  his  age 
in  reference  to  his  art,  made  the  memorable  remark, 
"  Whatever  is  excellent  in  art  must  spring  from  labor 
and  endurance."  That  sentiment  may  well  be  writ- 
ten on  the  shield  of  every  aspiring  young  man.  It 
ought  to  live  as  a  watchword  in  his  memory.  It 
ought  to  fix  as  an  all-illuminating  truth,  the  idea  in 
his  soul,  that  uncommon  excellence  is  no  lucky  acci- 
dent, no  product  of  circumstances,  but  the  fruit  of 
labor  and  endurance.  Greatness  is  from  culture, 
rather  than  from  genius  ;  and  if  it  had  a  voice  for  the 
world,  it  would  sing  of  "  The  high  endeavors  and  the 


LABOR  THE  PRICE  OF  EXCELLENCE.  71 

glad  success."  The  commoii  idea  about  genius  is 
pernicious.  It  sets  up  insurmountable  barriers  to  the 
masses,  and  they  set  down  in  the  conviction  that  they 
are  nothing,  and  efifort  is  useless.  This  is  no  less 
discouraging  to  those  who  are  dispirited  by  it,  than 
it  is  unjust  to  the  great. 

But  let  me  deal  with  this  subject  in  proper  order ; 
that  this  treatment  of  it  may  be  recalled,  and  there- 
fore, that  there  is  an  aptitude  in  minds  for  some  art 
or  profession,  I  do  not  deny,  though  the  common 
arguments  are  many  times  weak.  There  are,  unques- 
tionably, some  instances  of  that  original  intensity  of 
a  mental  faculty  by  which  the  mind  springs,  as  it 
were,  at  a  leap,  to  the  results  it  desires.  It  is  genius 
that  cannot  communicate  itself.  It  helps  our  idea  of 
Providence  to  recognize  original  aptitude  for  the 
different  occupations  of  life  which  are  essential  to 
civilization  and  progress  ;  but  it  is  certain  that  many 
of  the  most  remarkable  men  have  attributed  to  patient 
labor  what  the  world  have  attributed,  in  them,  to 
endowment.  That  Newton  attributed  his  success  to 
greater  patience  with  the  minute,  is  well  known,  and 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  held  that  superiority  resulted 
from  intense  and  constant  application  of  the  strength 
of  intellect  to  a  specific  purpose.  "Genius,"  he 
said,  "is  the  art  of  making  repeated  efforts."  The 
first  effort  he  made  with  his  pencil  was  the  perspec- 
tive of  a  book-case  from  sheer  idleness ;  but  his  father 
saw  it,  encouraged  him,  and  he  went  on  by  labor  to 
success.  Benjamin  West,  when  he  drew  the  babe's 
face  as  he  watched  it  in  the  cradle,  was  kissed  by  his 
mother  for  his  effort,  and  was  wont  to  say,  "  That  kiss 


72  LABOR  THE  PRICE  OF   EXCELLENCE. 

made  me  a  painter."  And  to  every  department  of 
artistic,  mechanical,  and  professional  life,  the  advice 
of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  to  his  scholars  is  adapted, 
where  he  said,  "  Make  no  dependence  on  your  own 
genius.  If  you  have  great  talents,  labor  will  improve 
them ;  if  you  have  poor  talents,  labor  will  increase 
them.  Nothing  is  denied  to  well  directed  labor. 
Nothing  is  to  be  obtained  without  it."  Napoleon  well 
said,  when  once  asked  to  create  a  Marshal  out  of  a 
man  who  belonged  to  a  noble  family,  but  who  had  no 
other  claim,  "  It  is  not  I  that  makes  Marshals,  but 
victory." 

It  is  a  fine  illustration  of  our  position  to  see  the 
progress  which  has  been  made  in  the  application  of 
the  name  of  genius.  To  draw  a  rude  likeness  was 
once  genius ;  but  when  this  was  learned  as  an  art, 
then  genius  was  the  power  that  could  add  to  it — that 
could  render  the  effect  greater — the  picture  more  life- 
like— the  style  more  remarkable.  So  in  mechanics, 
and  equally  so  in  poetry,  music  and  oratory.  Genius 
ceased  to  be  recognized  as  soon  as  labor  could  equal 
the  result  once  attributed  to  nature's  gift,  acting 
unaided.  Genius  has  kept  its  name  by  doing  all  its 
work  in  secret — by  keeping  up  the  show  of  the  Jug- 
gler that  makes  us  think  his  tricks  are  real,  notwith- 
standing he  tells  us  he  but  deceives  the  eye.  Demos- 
thenes standing  by  the  sea  and  declaiming  with  peb- 
bles in  his  mouth,  in  his  study,  with  the  sword  sus- 
pended over  his  shrugging  shoulders,  and  three  years 
in  the  cave  at  his  studies,  shows  us  the  labor  that 
produced  the  results  which  were  attributed  only  to 
genius — a  mysterious  and  irresistible  force. 


LABOR  THE   PRICE  OF  EXCELLENCE.  73 

"  Genius,"  said  the  illustrious  BufFon,  "  is  patience ;" 
and  a  mighty  man  answered  the  question  just  the 
same  in  spirit,  when  he  said,  "You  ask  what  is  gen- 
ius, and  I  can  only  say,  if  you  have  not  felt  it,  I  can- 
not defme  it."  Many  of  the  best  men  in  all  depart- 
ments of  life  define  genius  as  a  habit  rather  than  a 
quality  of  mind ;  and  perhaps  it  may  be  best  spoken 
of  as  an  intense,  persistent,  concentrated  activity. 
What  but  a  definition  of  genius  was  given,  wheii 
Webster  said,  "A  man  is  not  educated  till  he  has  the 
ability  to  summon,  in  case  of  emergency,  all  his  men- 
tal power  in  vigorous  exercise  to  effect  his  object?" 

What  we  attribute  to  some  gift  may  be  traced  to 
the  kindling  and  concentrating  power  of  feeling  or 
passion,  as  is  illustrated  in  that  orator's  reply  to 
Hayne,  and  in  the  many  instances  where  the  greatest 
mental  effort  has  sprung  from  passion.  Scorched  and 
stung  by  a  Scottish  Reviewer,  Byron  wrote  a  poem, 
and  he  who  was  deemed  but  a  simple  rhymester 
became  a  poet,  as  he  himself  once  said,  "I  went  to 
bed  one  night,  and  woke  up  to  find  myself  famous." 
So  in  sharp  debates,  in  violent  controversy,  the  most 
remarka])le  things  have  been  uttered:  men  have 
gone  beyond  themselves  and  have  astonished  the 
world.  A  mighty  intensity  of  thought  has  burned 
within  them,  and  they  have  brought  the  whole  stock 
of  intellectual  attainment  to  bear  upon  the  matter 
before  them.  The  best  things  of  many  men  in  all 
departments  of  effort  have  been  unpremeditated  ;  but 
this  gives  no  argument  against  labor,  study  and  fore- 
cast, because  these  men  have  been  made  capable  of 
7 


74  LABOR  THE  PRICE   OF   EXCELLENCE. 

these  great  or  uncommon  efforts  by  the  wealth  of 
mind  stored  up.  Great  discoveries  have  not  been 
made  so  mnch  by  accident,  as  many  suppose,  as  by 
that  habit  of  mind  that  will  not  let  any  thing  pass 
unnoticed.  It  is  not  to  a  light  and  frivolous  mind 
that  the  fall  of  an  apple  will  suggest  a  thought  in 
reference  to  the  great  laws  or  forces  of  nature,  and 
no  dream  of  the  pendulum  floats  before  the  eye  of 
the  careless  thinker  as  the  lamp  is  seen  to  swing  or 
oscillate  in  the  church.  The  ripe  things  of  nature 
fall  into  hands  prepared  to  receive  them ;  and  in  a 
profound  sense  may  the  wise  man's  words  be  applied 
beyond  religion,  where  he  says,  "The  secret  of  the 
Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  him."  A  thousand  times 
the  same  advice  may  fall  on  the  ears  of  the  prodigal 
in  vain,  but  at  another  it  may  come  as  a  regenerating 
force,  and  he  be  made  to  start  as  the  warrior  at  the 
sound  of  the  battle  trumpet.  The  learned  and  famed 
Dr.  Paley  was  an  unambitious  student,  careless  of  his 
opportunities,  till  one  day  a  collegian  said  to  him, 
*'You  area  fool,  Paley,  to  squander  your  time  so. 
If  you  would  arouse  yourself,  you  may  be  famous.  I 
have  wealth,  and  need  not  exert  myself;  but  you 
have  no  such  dependence.  Now  wake  up."  He  did 
go,  and  milHons  have  reaped  the  benefits  of  his  activ- 
ity. And  so  with  many  dull  intellects,  who  loved  fun 
more  than  books  and  study,  like  the  youthful  Chal- 
mers, have  been  started  by  some  new  turn  of  thought 
— some  attractive  subject,  and  they  have  sprung  at 
once  into  glorious  mental  activity,  blazing  lil^e  t;h@ 
dull  fire  on  which  oil  has  been  poured. 


LABOR  THE  PRICE  OF  EXCELLENCE.  75 

Genius,  therefore,  is  really  intensity  of  thought, 
feeling,  emotion,  activity.  All  the  faculties  of  the 
man  are  in  earnest.  The  wliole  man  is  glorified  by 
the  intensity  of  the  determined  spirit,  and  what  is 
done  is  done  with  every  energy — with  a  resoluteness 
that  means  ;  with  persistence  of  effort  to  conquer  if 
such  a  thing  can  be.  The  great  object  glorifies  each 
portion  of  labor,  and  the  passion  of  the  mind  seems 
to  be  that  which  would 

"  Scorn  low  delights  and  live  laborious  days." 

If  we  were  to  consult  specific  cases  of  superiority 
in  the  spheres  where  genius  may  be  said  to  shine,  we 
shall  find  that  labor  and  culture,  not  endowment  and 
luck,  have  gained  the  palm  of  renown. 

Take  an  illustration  from  oratory.  I  have  spoken 
of  Demosthenes,  who  held  the  Athenian  crowd  at 
will,  and  in  addition  to  what  I  have  said,  I  may 
remark,  that  his  first  effort  was  jeered  at  and  scorned, 
and  only  by  the  advice  of  an  actor,  who  met  him  in 
his  despondency,  was  he  encouraged  to  try  again. 
Cicero,  who  uttered  so  irresistibly  ''the  deep,  clear 
cadence  of  the  Roman  tongue,"  had  an  oratory  that 
was  the  fruit  of  countless  labors  ;  and  coming  to  mod- 
ern times,  it  is  quite  remarkable,  that  the  three  most 
brilliant  specimens  of  the  orator  in  the  British  Senate, 
at  the  bar,  and  in  the  pulpit,  were  men  whose  first 
efforts  were  evidences  that  energy  makes  the  man. 
The  first  is  Sheridan,  whose  maiden  speech  was  so 
inferior,  that  it  was  deemed  a  kindness  to  advise  him 
to  desist  from  further  attempts ;  but  his  reply  was, 
"It's  in  me,  and  by  Heaven  it  shall  come  out."     It 


76  LABOR  THE  PRICE   OF  EXCELLENCE. 

did  come  out,  and  he  became  the  wittiest,  most  spark- 
ling, and  persuasively  brilliant  orator  of  the  British 
Parliament. 

So  at  the  Bar.  Lord  Erskine,  whose  career  was 
most  brilliant  as  a  lawyer,  and  especially  as  a  pleader. 
When  making  his  first  effort,  he  felt  his  nothingness 
—  that  he  had  no  ability,  and  just  as  the  tears  were 
springing  to  his  eyes,  and  he  was  about  to  yield  to 
despair,  he  says  he  felt,  as  it  were,  his  little  boy  pull- 
ing at  his  gown.  Thoughts  of  home  and  the  dear 
ones  there  rushed  into  his  mind,  his  heart  was  on 
fire,  and  he  burst  forth  into  an  effort  of  which  he 
never  dreamed  he  was  capable.  Fifteen  cases,  with 
the  appropriate  fees,  were  immediately  after  that  vic- 
tory placed  in  his  hand. 

So  m  the  pulpit.  Robert  Hall  was  for  fifty  years 
the  prince  of  preachers.  He  did  not  know  that  the 
Princess  Charlotte  was  dead  till  he  entered  his  church, 
and  the  sermon  he  preached  then  was  the  richest  and 
most  eloquent  of  all  the  hundreds  delivered  in  the 
realm.  His  first  three  efforts  were  failures — terrible 
failures ;  and  when  he  went  to  his  chamber  the  last 
time,  he  was  heard  to  say,  "If  this  don't  cure  me,  the 
devil  must  have  me."  It  did  cure  him  of  depending 
on  other  things  than  toil  and  preparation,  and  he  was 
for  fifty  years  at  the  head  of  pulpit  orators. 

Take  example  from  moral  characters,  such  as 
Socrates,  William  Penn,  or  Washington,  who  have 
shown  the  most  difficult  of  attainments — a  calm,  dig- 
nified, impressive  demeanor  that  says,  in  silence  that 
is  as  eloquent  as  the  stars,  that  the  soul  has  in  its 
hands  the  reins  of  passion  with  a  perfect  mastery. 


LABOR   THE   PRICE   OF   EXCELLENCE.  77 

Take  up  any  man's  life  who  has  risen  to  real,  per- 
manent eminence,  and  you  see  there  the  marks  of 
labor ;  so  that  it  may  be  said  of  many,  as  was  said  of 
Piso,  "  What  he  withdrew  of  application,  he  deducted 
from  glory."  Goethe  said  truly,  "What  is  genius 
but  the  faculty  of  seeing  and  turning  to  advantage 
everything  that  strikes  us  ?"  And  so  thought  the 
celebrated  French  landscape  painter,  Poussin,  who, 
when  asked  how  he  was  able  to  give  such  an  effect  to 
his  paintings,  simply  answered,  "I  have  neglected 
nothing." 

All  that  has  thus  been  said  of  art  may  be  said  of 
religious  character  —  the  superiority  of  virtue  and 
holiness.  We  must  "endure  hardness  as  good  sol- 
diers of  Jesus  Christ,"  if  we  would  wear  the  laurels 
of  victory.  I  know  not  what  continuance  may  be 
given  to  art  in  the  future,  the  realm  of  immortality, 
but  I  am  sure  that  all  advancement  in  virtue  will 
cling  to  us.  Every  habit  of  the  mind,  however 
gained,  that  helps  holiness  of  heart,  will  be  ours  for- 
ever ;  and  there  where  we  shall  shake  off  many  errors 
of  theory  and  belief,  we  shall  put  on  new  advances  in 
holiness  and  love,  by  the  forces  that  here  we  cultivate. 

The  price  of  excellence,  then,  is  labor.  What  most 
we  need  is  to  intensify  our  love  of  God  and  his  gos- 
pel —  to  make  faith  more  a  fire  —  a  fire  that  rouses 
up  to  action  every  inmate  of  the  house,  and  shows 
what  wonders  can  be  wrought.  A  fire  that  demands 
more  and  more  fuel,  when  it  is  rightly  confined  to  its 
place,  and  that  bids  us  go  out  of  our  Mount  Ephraim, 
into  the  land  of  the  giants,  and  cut  wood. 
7* 


SERMON    VIII. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THOUGHT. 

For  we  wrestle  not  AGAI^-ST  flesh  Ajntp  blood,  but  against  princi- 
palities, AGAIKST  POAVERS,  AGAINST  THE  RULERS  OF  THE  DARKNESS  OF 
THIS  WORLD,  against    SPIRITUAL  WICKEDNESS  IN    HIGH  PLACES. —  Eph. 

vi.  12. 

How  different  is  the  battle  of  Arms  and  the  battle 
of  Thought !  the  warfare  where  flesh  and  blood 
wrestle,  and  the  struggle  where  mind  is  in  conflict 
with  mind. 

There  is  no  comparison  of  appearances ;  for  in  the 
one  case,  there  is  the  roll  of  the  drum,  the  pealing  of 
the  fife,  the  shrill  call  of  the  bugle,  the  clash  of  swords, 
the  glittering  bayonets,  the  floating  banners,  the  thril- 
ling shouts  of  the  combatants,  till  amid  the  shock  of 
arms  and  the  roar  of  artillery,  the  dreadful  scene  is 
shrouded  by  the  vast  columns  and  sea  of  smoke. 

As  this  clears  away,  the  power  of  the  opposing  forces 
is  seen  in  the  dead  strewed  upon  the  field  ;  and  over 
the  river  of  blood  which  then  flows,  goes  up  the  wail 
of  the  dying  and  wounded,  blended  with  the  shouts 
of  the  victors. 


THE  BATTLE  OF    THOUGHT.  79 

This  is  to  be  followed  by  the  removal  of  the  mutilat- 
ed bodies  that  for  years  must  bear  with  them  the  sad 
evidences  how  terrible  is  the  conflict  when  flesh  and 
blood  wrestle  against  flesh  and  blood. 

Such  is  the  conflict  that  has  so  often  been  resorted 
to,  to  settle  the  simplest  and  most  insignificant  ques- 
tion as  well  as  the  most  stupendous  of  all  the  demands 
of  man  on  man. 

But  how  in  contrast  with  this  is  the  conflict  where 
Thought  battles  with  Thought  —  where  the  contest 
is  "  not  against  flesh  and  blood,  hut  against  principali- 
ties, against  powers,  against  the  rulers  of  the  darkness 
of  this  world,  against  spiritual  wickedness  in  high 
places." 

All  the  show  in  a  case  like  this  is  seen  in  the  pic- 
ture of  Paul  on  Mar's  Hill,  when  his  spirit  was  stirred 
within  him  to  see  Athens  wholly  given  to  idolatry. 

There  at  his  feet  lay  Athens  the  pride  of  Greece, 
with  her  thousand  splendid  temples  and  ten  thousand 
gods.  Exulting  in  the  glory  of  her  Arts,  boasting  of 
the  greatest  refinement,  concentrating  all  that  was 
beautiful  in  the  triumphs  of  genius,  Athens  spread 
out  the  attractions  that  made  her  envied  by  every  city 
in  the  world.  But  the  whole  of  this  beauty,  all  these 
triumphs  of  Art  and  Genius,  Music,  Painting,  Sculp- 
ture, Eloquence,  were  vitiated  to  the  Apostle's  mind 
by  the  presence  and  power  of  Idolatry.  He  had  no 
armament  of  States  and  people  to  bring  against  it. 
What  would  it  avail  though  he  should,  \\dth  a  Samson's 
might,  become  an  Iconoclast  and  smite  from  their 
foundations  the  ten  thousand  gods  and  goddesses  of 


80  THE   BATTLE   OP    THOUGHT. 

Athens.  What  though  he  should  wield  a  destructive 
war  against  the  worshippers  of  marble  and  silver  and 
gold  idols  ?  No  advantage  would  accrue.  No  victory 
such  as  he  desired  would  be  obtained. 

He,  therefore,  stands  alone  on  Mar's  Hill  and  trusts 
the  issue  to  a  few  words  solemnly  and  earnestly 
spoken.  He  stands  there  a  stranger.  There  is  little 
in  his  appearance  to  prepossess  the  crowd  in  his  favor. 
But  as  he  is  not  to  wrestle  with  flesh  and  blood,  he 
thinks  not  of  the  show  of  outward  strength,  but 
stretches  forth  his  hand  simply  to  beckon  the  people 
into  silence.  All  is  still.  The  Epicurean  has  hushed 
his  laughter ;  the  Stoic  has  wrapped  his  mantle  more 
closely  to  his  form ;  the  Scholar  has  smothered  his 
face  for  a  placid  reception  of  the  new  speculation  ;  the 
Artist  is  ready  to  study  a  new  attitude,  while  the 
Curious  observer  is  eager  to  be  amused  with  any 
thing  that  "  the  babbler  "  may  have  to  say,  and  the 
Sorrow  stricken  asks  for  Light  on  the  darkest  things 
of  life. 

Paul  speaks.  He  utters  sublime  truths  respecting 
the  universal  Creator,  Benefactor,  Governor  and  Judge, 
and  thus  sends  forth  immortal  forces  to  do  battle  for 
Him  whose  right  it  is  to  rule  —  to  rule  in  the  indivi- 
dual heart  and  in  society  throughout  its  manifold 
relations  —  in  all  its  laws  and  its  institutions,  modes 
of  life  and  its  customs. 

Tiiere  was  no  noise,  no  confusion,  no  clash  of  arms, 
no  floating  banners,  no  garments  and  chariots  rolled 
in  blood  ;  and  yet  a  stupendous  battle  then  began  — 
a  battle  with  principalities  and  powers  —  a  battle  with 


THE  BATTLE   OE  THOUGHT.  81 

the  forces  that  lay  back  of  the  superstition  that  held 
the  most  cultivated  portion  of  the  world  loyal  to 
Idolatry.  Then  commenced  the  battle  in  which  Paul's 
simple  thought,  vindicated  by  appeals  to  Nature,  Rea- 
♦son  and  the  human  Heart,  was  on  the  one  side,  and 
all  the  powers  of  learning  and  philosophy  were  on  the 
other  —  the  thoughts  embodied  in  the  twenty  thou- 
sand gods  that  thronged  the  streets  and  groves  and 
temples  of  the  grand  city  of  Greece.  That  battle  is 
to  go  on,  till  what  ?  Till  outward  subjection  to  Christ 
shall  be  obtained  ?  lip  loyalty  secured  ?  the  homage  of 
bent  knee  and  loud  applause  ?  No,  no  !  The  con- 
quest contemplated  is  far  greater  than  this.  The  vic- 
tory proposed  in  the  Gospel  is  the  most  stupendous, 
the  most  magnificent  ever  contemplated,  and  no  one 
but  Jesus  could  have  inspired  it.  That  victory  is,  the 
casting  down  of  Imaginations  and  every  high  thing 
that  exalteth  itself  against  the  knowledge  of  God,  and 
the  bringing  into  captivity  every  thought  to  the  obedi- 
ence of  Christ ! 

Here  it  is  —  the  knowledge  of  God — the  true  con- 
ception of  the  Divine  character  and  economy  is  to 
change  the  vast  picture  gallery  of  the  soul  —  to  remove 
the  images  of  Idolatry  —  all  the  forms  of  error  and 
sin,  and  place  there  the  beauty  and  glory  that  find 
their  types  and  symbols  in  Nature  —  in  the  changes 
by  which  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the  poet  of  the  sea- 
son we  say,  — 

"  These  as  the>  change  Almighty  Father!  these 
Are  but  the  varied  God  !     The  rolling  year 
Is  full  of  Thee  !" 


82  THE  BATTLE   OF    THOUGHT. 

Yes,  the  victory  contemplated  is,  the  bringing  every 
thought  into  captivity  —  the  glorious  captivity  of 
obedience  to  Christ  —  captivity  like  that  which  holds 
the  stars  in  their  courses,  so  that  they  shine  and 
sing,  and  swing  not  from  their  lAace  in  the  choir  of 
immortal  harmony. 

What  does  this  theme  teach  us  ? 

Most  obviously  it  teaches,  that  we  should  be  more 
interested  in  the  battles  of  Thought  than  in  the  battles 
of  Arms. 

The  battles  of  Thought  precede  and  must  follow 
the  battles  of  Arms.  They  are  like  the  electricity 
that  forms  the  terrible  thunder  cloud,  and  that  pre- 
vades  the  atmosphere  when  the  roar  of  the  thunder 
has  ceased. 

The  battles  of  Thought  preceded  one  Revolution, 
and  when  Independence  was  achieved  —  when  the 
Confederation  was  established  —  when  once  and  again 
the  majestic  Washington  had  adorned  the  Presidential 
chair,  there  began  a  battle  in  which  Young  America 
led ;  and  in  which  even  Washington  could  not  have 
had  power  to  have  been  successful.  He  was  taken 
just  at  the  time  when  he  could  best  go  and  leave  an 
unbroken  track  of  light  and  success  behind  him. 

And  now  we  are  to  wrestle,  not  with  flesh  and  blood, 
not  with  muscle  and  nerve,  skill  of  warfare  and  phy- 
sical bravery,  but  with  principalities  and  powers  — 
with  powerful  principles  that  rule  too  much  the  des- 
tinies of  tlie  people  and  take  too  much  attention  from 


THE  BATTLE   OF    THOUGHT.  88 

men  to  measures  —  from  the  country  to  party  —  from 
the  future  to  the  present  —  that  repudiates  the  con- 
servatisms of  God  by  which  the  good  of  the  past  is 
held  fast  as  a  security  for  good  in  the  future. 

So  in  moral  and  religiovis  matters.  We  live  in  an 
age  of  the  most  contending  theories  and  speciilations, 
and  even  where  we  might  expect  to  see  nothing  but  a 
rigid  adherence  to  old  creeds  and  formulas,  we  do 
behold  the  most  antagonistic  forces,  and  professor  wars 
with  professor  in  the  same  department  of  the  Church. 

We  stand  in  the  attitude  of  David  when  he  could 
go  down  and  help  the  king  that  sought  his  life,  and 
then  retreat  to  our  own  fortress  and  pursue  our  own 
defences  and  victories. 

The  times  demand  what  Liberal  Religion  alone  can 
grant, —  Intellectual  and  Moral  Courage  —  Mental 
and  Moral  challenge  of  Opinion. 

We  are  fortified  by  one  expectancy  of  the  highest 
good  and  of  new  developement  of  God  —  we  are  forti- 
fied against  the  fear  of  Error.  We  are  willing  to  meet 
it.  We  have  confidence  in  the  superiority  of  the  for- 
ces of  Truth ;  and  when  we  are  equally  fearless  in 
declaring  the  Truth  —  in  maintaining  its  claims  —  its 
rights  —  its  interests — its  protests  against  principali- 
ties and  powers,  against  wickedness  in  high  places  — 
the  places  of  thought,  of  ideas  that  rule  the  multi- 
tude, when  we  are  thus  fearless,  our  life  will  speak 
for  our  noble  and  rational  and  scriptural  religion. 

This,  this  is  one  duty  to  ourselves,  our  time,  our 
race,  —  To  tell  what  we  wrestle  with  —  to  own  what 


84  THE   BATTLE    OP    THOUGHT. 

our  souls,  in  all  the  energy  of  conviction,  do  oppose. 
'Tis  not  with  men  that  we  are  called  to  war,  but  with 
the  opinions  that  rule  them  ;  that  make  them  narrow 
and  bigoted  —  that  blind  them  to  virtue  outside  of 
their  Church  —  that  impel  them  to  imagine  that  no 
flame  rises  from  any  altar  to  Heaven  save  where  their 
priests  stand  with  the  sacrifice. 


SERMON    IX. 


LAW  OF  LIBERTY. 

So  SPEAK  AND  SO  DO,  AS  THEY  THAT  SHALL  BE  JUDGED  BY  THE  LA"W 

OF  LIBERTY.  —  James  ii.  12. 

The  light  of  the  Sabbath  has  a  peculiar  beauty  as 
it  shines  to  hallow  the  incoming,  on  the  morrow,  of 
our  national  anniversary.  It  thus  intimates  what  is 
the  great  truth  of  history,  that  the  religion  which 
gave  our  Sabbath  gave  also  the  principles  by  which 
has  been  wrought  out  the  proud  structure  of  the 
American  Government.  Christianity  and  Republi- 
canism is  one  or  identical ;  and  to  this  theme  we  may 
direct  our  attention,  that  we  may  render  just  tribute 
to  the  source  of  all  true  liberal  government,  the  vital- 
izing spirit  of  all  progress,  and  the  grand  directory  in 
the  pursuit  of  means  to  build  up  the  unparalleled 
greatness  of  this  Empire,  whose  su.n  rises  from  the 
Atlantic  and  gives  the  glory  of  its  setting  to  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Pacific. 
8 


86  LAW   OF   LIBERTY. 

Seventy-seYen  years  yesterday  the  grand  vote  was 
passed  declaring  that  the  united  colonies  were,  and  of  a 
right  should  be,  free  and  independent  States  ;  and  this 
day  is  the  anniversary  of  the  thorough,  earnest,  sol- 
emn debate  concerning  all  the  details  of. the  form  of 
declaration,  which  was  to  give  the  grand  reasons  for 
the  step  taken,  so  astounding  to  the  world. 

Every  word  was  measured  ;  every  redundant  ex- 
pression was  omitted  ;  whatever  bore  the  appearance 
of  passion  rather  than  of  fact  was  laid  aside  ;  and  as 
prepared  for  adoption  on  the  fourth,  it  was,  as  it  is, 
one  of  the  ablest  State  papers  which  the  history  of 
nations  can  furnish. 

And  what  is  the  spirit  of  that  grand  Declaration  of 
Independence  ?  It  is  no  less  Law  than  Liberty  ;  and 
it  is  most  admirable  to  see  that  the  most  impassioned 
of  all  the  minds  concerned  in  the  enacting  of  that 
instrument,  spake  and  did  as  conscious  that  they 
should  be  judged  l)y  the  law  of  liberty.  They  acted 
religiously,  and  their  hope  of  success  was  a  religious 
hope;  and  wise  is  it  for  their  descendants  to  itudy 
with  a  like  spirit  the  history  of  those  influences  which 
contributed  to  final  success. 

Such  a  study,  I  think,  will  inevitably  send  us  to  the 
New  Testament.  There  is  the  true  source  of  Repub- 
licanism. There  shine  tlie  great  truths  which  as  inevi- 
ta])ly  suggest  popular  liberty — the  denial  of  the  divine 
right  of  kings,  and  the  right  and  duty  of  self-govern- 
ment, as  the  sun  gives  light  and  heat. 

And  it  is  a  glorious  truth  to  the  republican  Chris- 
tian, that  in  proportion  as  men  have  been  the  success- 


LAW   OF   LIBERTY.  8T 

fill  champions  of  popular  rights  and  liberties,  tliey 
have  cherished  the  Bible  as  the  grand  armory  of 
weapons,  the  magazine  of  the  battle-field,  the  encour- 
agement of  victory. 

The  duty  of  the  Pulpit,  then,  is,  to  show  what  was 
the  Consecration  of  the  great  struggle  of  our  fathers, 
and  that  they  were  successful  because  they  fought  un- 
der tlie  aegis  of  the  Almighty  and  obeyed  the  impul- 
ses of  Destiny.  This  will  impose  on  us,  as  the  great 
lesson  of  the  time,  that  while  we  do  and  must  discard 
a  religion  for  the  government,  or  a  governmental  re- 
ligion, the  union  of  Church  and  State,  we  must  seek 
for  a  religious  government,  as  the  exponent  of  that 
which  has  vitalized  republicanism,  and  which  can 
alone  develop  it  in  full  beauty  and  perfection.  To 
the  highest  and  the  lowest,  to  each  and  all,  the  ex- 
hortation comes,  "  So  speak  and  so  do,  as  they  that 
shall  be  judged  by  the  law  of  liberty." 

In  the  New  Testament,  Liberty  is  a  great  word — an 
expansive  word.  The  whole  work  of  Christ  is  spoken 
of  as  a  liberation  ;  he  who  is  liberated  by  His  truth  is 
declared  to  be  free  indeed  ;  and  the  crowning  act  of 
the  redemption  is  the  introduction  of  humanity  into 
"  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God." 

Hence  the  summing  up,  in  our  text,  of  all  that 
Christianity  is,  as  the  law  of  liberty,  or,  as  the  same 
Apostle  has  written,  "  the  perfect  law  of  liberty." 

Here  two  ideas  are  implied.  Liberty  and  Law — but 
mark  you,  the  law  comes  of  liberty,  and  not  liberty  of 
the  law  ;  for  the  expression  is,  the  law  of  liberty — the 
law  having  the  same  relation  to  liberty  as  the  law  of 


88  LAW   OF   LIBERTY. 

any  State  has  to  that  State.  It  is  Liberty  suggesting 
Law  for  its  own  protection,  as  the  genius  of  our  gov- 
ernment is  Liberty  protected  or  regulated  by  Law. 
The  inference  seems  irresistible,  that  whatever  may 
be  the  character  of  local  institutions,  every  thing  of  a 
national  character  must  favor  Liberty.  To  Liberty 
and  its  progress  we  are  committed ;  and  the  law  of 
liberty  demands  that  our  advance  as  a  nation  be  for 
no  aims  disassociated  with  Freedom. 

To  some  this  truth  of  Liberty  and  Law  appears  par- 
adoxical. Liberty  and  Law  are  antagonistical  in  their 
speculations ;  and  so  the  idea  of  self-government  is 
supposed  to  be  incompatible  with  any  thing  like  a  re- 
gard to  the  essentials  of  Social  Order. 

But  this  arises  from  a  wrong  heginning  in  the  spec- 
ulations of  such  theorists. 

He  who  begins  with  God  and  his  own  religious  na- 
ture can  have  no  licentious  views  of  liberty,  nor  can 
he  put  self  above  the  social.  The  text  has  special 
reference,  it  would  seem,  to  one  law,  "  Thou  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself;"  and  therefore  the  re- 
sponsibility seems  to  be,  as  the  responsibility  must 
ever  be,  in  reference  to  serving  self  in  view  of  our 
social  relations.  Whatever  liberates  us  from  a  nar- 
row religion  increases  the  extent  of  the  law  of  broth- 
erhood or  neighborhood.  The  higher  we  magnify 
self  the  more  we  obtain  for  the  individual  our  theory 
of  liberty,  the  more  grand  becomes  our  view  of  socie- 
ty— our  relations  to  man — our  obligations  to  serve  the 
race. 

The  law  of  liberty  is,  after  all,  the  law  of  service  ; 
and  it  teaches  this  splendid  idea,  that  the  more  a  man 


LAW   OF   LIBERTY.  89 

serves  his  race,  the  more  shall  he  know  of  the  highest 
and  nohlest  freedom — the  expansion  of  a  generous 
soul — the  liberty  of  affections  and  sympathies  enfran- 
chised from  the  bondage  of  selfishness  and  sin. 

There  is  no  such  freedom  as  is  known  by  the  Lord's 
free  man ;  and  yet  he  is  Christ's  servant,  and  being 
Christ's  servant,  he  must  serve  the  race. 

To  what,  then,  do  we  owe  our  national  greatness  ? 
Allowing,  in  the  answer,  all  credit  due  to  man,  noble 
and  pure,  we  must  say.  Our  liberties  come  of  God's 
gift  in  Christianity. 

Christianity  came  to  the  common  people,  to  the 
masses.  It  made  them  the  critics  of  their  rulers.  It 
told  them,  by  the  appeals  it  made  to  them,  that  they 
were  capable  of  solving  for  themselves  the  greatest 
questions  ;  and  in  so  many  words  it  said,  "  Why  even 
of  yourselves  judge  ye  not  what  is  right?"  When 
Jesus  said  to  John's  disciples,  as  the  crowning  evi- 
dence of  his  Messiahship,  •'  The  poor  have  the  Gospel 
preached  to  them^'^  he  struck  a  mighty  chord  Avhose 
music  shall  yet  fill  the  world  with  harmony. 

It  has  been  well  said  by  an  English  radical  writer, 
"  This  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  the  poor  assvimes 
that  the  poor  have  faculties  for  the  appreciation  of  the 
profoundest  of  moral  truths  ;  that  there  is  nothing 
too  good  to  be  given  to  them ;  that  the  enlightening 
of  their  understandings,  the  awakening  of  their  feel- 
ings, the  guiding  of  their  aspirations  to  spiritual 
beauty,  truth  and  good,  is  a  work  worthy  of  the  high- 
est intelligence." 

It  is  this  that  makes  Christianity  the  great  fact  in 
8* 


90  LAW   OF   LIBERTY. 

the  philosophy  of  the  Rights  of  Man.  It  was  direct- 
ly opposed  to  the  common  test,  "  Have  any  of  the 
rulers  beheved  on  him  ?  "  No  man  can  sneer  at  the 
"  common  people  "  and  look  Christianity  in  the  face 
as  its  believer  ;  and  it  is  that  low  view  of  the  masses 
which  Jesus  rebuked,  that  has  given  the  only  founda- 
tion for  anti-republican  governments. 

And  the  world  has  yet  to  learn  how  much  Jesus 
meant  when,  on  the  ears  of  the  masses,  he  poured  the 
great  truths  of  his  religion,  and  favored  Man  rather 
than  Philosophers  and  Scholars.  His  gospel  was 
"  hid  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  revealed  unto 
babes." 

How  our  freedom  came  from  Christianity  is  seen  by 
the  briefest  reference  to  the  History  of  Political  free- 
dom. 

We  need  not  go  back  farther  than  the  Reforiuation, 
— that  bursting  of  light  out  of  midnight  darkness. 
Then  came  the  struggle  between  the  Claim  for  su- 
premacy in  behalf  of  the  Church,  and  in  behalf  of 
the  State  ;  and  it  was  the  exaltation  of  the  Individual 
that  settled  that  controversy  and  established  the  right 
of  private  judgment  in  the  use  of  the  Scriptures. 

That  was,  unconsciously,  an  allowance  of  every 
thing  which  the  broadest  idea  of  Liberty  required. 
If  the  Soul  is  adequate  to  decide,  and  must  decide 
for  itself,  on  the  import  of  the  Sacred  Directory,  then 
it  has  capacities  for  deciding,  and  has  the  right  to 
decide,  on  the  application  of  that  import  of  the  Scrij> 
turcs  to  the  form  of  government  under  which  it  is  to 
live  luid  to  which  it  is  expected  to  pay  obedience. 


LAW   OF   LIBERTY.  91 

Men  began  to  catch  this  idea  and  to  think  over  it  and 
to  speak  it  and  to  debate  it,  till  the  idea  of  Despotism 
was  given  up  for  the  idea  of  the  Divine  Right  of 
Kings  —  that  kings  inherited  an  absolute  and  irre- 
sponsible authority,  to  which  their  subjects  must  yield 
passive  obedience. 

The  whole  of  the  awe  of  government  then  came 
from  Power.  Milton  and  Locke  argued  with  sound 
reason  and  keen  logic  against  this  proud  assumption  ; 
but  following  this  controversy  was  the  idea  of  the  So- 
cial Compact  —  an  undefined  something  gave  a  basis 
to  authority.  Then  came  the  struggle  for  a  written 
Constitution  —  for  defined  limits  to  Sovereign  and 
Subject  —  the  ''Magna  Cliarta "  and  the  "Bill  of 
Rights." 

Then  it  was  that  the  time  came  for  the  opening  of 
a  new  theatre  —  not  a  "  Hippodrome,"  where  old 
tricks  of  antiquity  were  to  be  played  over  again,  but 
where  new  things  were  to  be  thought  and  wrought, 
and  the  foundations  of  an  empire  were  to  be  laid  that 
was  to  astonish  the  world  by  the  rapidity  of  its 
growth,  the  stupendousness  of  its  resources,  and  the 
magnificence  of  its  enterprise  and  achievements. 

Here  to  this  new  world  an  humble  body  of  Colo- 
nists came,  and  here,  in  the  fear  of  God  and  in  loyal- 
ty to  conscience,  grew  up  the  grand  truth  of  the  right 
of  a  people  to  govern  themselves. 

This  was  a  march  beyond  the  liberalism  of  tlie  old 
world.  Circumstances  forced  it  upon  our  fathers  ; 
and  when  they  sought  in  their  Bibles  to  know  its 
sanctions,  they  found  them  in  abundance  ;  and  they 


92  LAW   OF   LIBERTY. 

refused  to  look  into  any  Compact  to  know  their  rights 
and  duties,  for  they  found  in  themselves  the  right  to 
say,  What  will  we  do  ?  What  do  we  feel  to  be  our  duty  ? 
How  shall  we  speak  and  do  as  they  who  shall  be  judg- 
ed,—  not  by  kings,  this  and  that  unbased  and  tradition- 
ary compact,  but  by  the  law  of  liberty  that  is  of  God. 

"  No  taxation  without  representation  "  became  the 
rallying  cry.  It  was  the  protest  of  mind  working  its 
way  to  the  grandest  ideas  of  government  and  society. 
It  denied  absolutely  the  assumption  of  power  on  any 
basis  ;  and  what  a  need  there  was  of  this  is  seen,  most 
awfully  pictured  in  the  indictment  against  the  Crown 
read  before  the  world  in  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. Its  awfulness  lies  in  its  truth.  And  when  I 
hear  intelligent  Americans  say  it  is  time  that  the 
reading  of  that  State  Paper,  that  unparalleled  docu- 
ment, should  be  done  away  with  on  this  great  anni- 
versary, because  we  are  at  peace  with  the  mother 
country,  I  can  only  say,  Every  argument  for  the  erec- 
tion of  monuments  can  be  set  aside  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple. The  Declaration  Qf  Independence  contains  a 
truthful  history  —  the  awful  summing  up  of  the 
wrongs  of  our  fathers  —  their  justification  for  appeal- 
ing to  decisive  measures  —  the  proof  of  what  irre- 
sponsible power  will  do. 

It  should  be  read  to  stir  the  blood  into  sympathy 
with  the  spirit  of  '76. 

It  should  be  read  to  show  how  in  advance  of  the 
mother  country  young  America  was  —  what  shackles 
were  placed  upon  the  growing  limbs  of  the  young 
giant,  and  how  petty  selfishness  will  throw  itself  in 


LAW   OF  LIBERTY.  93 

the  way  of  the  onward  sweep  of  a  wing  powerful  as 
truth  and  as  nTesistiblo  as  destiny.  Blind,  blind  to 
the  great  social  law  that  executes  the  providence  of 
God,  were  those  who  tried  to  subdue,  where  they 
should  have  co-operated. 

On  what  an  Empire  will  to-morrow's  sun  dawn ! 
Every  return  of  the  great  Anniversary  that  comes 
when  the  country,  as  now,  is  rejoicing  in  prosperity, 
is  a  matter  for  devout  thanksgiving  —  not  only  on  our 
own  account  —  not  only  because  we  can  still  afford 
an  asylum  for  the  oppressed  everywhere,  but  because 
clearly  burns  the  light  of  hope  for  the  struggling  mil- 
lions of  Europe. 

Still  more  clearly  and  brightly  will  that  light  burn 
when  we  remember,  as  a  great  people,  that  we  should 
so  speak  —  so  vote,  enact  and  resolve  ;  and  so  do  — 
perform,  execute  faithfully  our  laws  and  promises,  as 
they  that  shall  be  judged  by  the  law  of  liberty  —  re- 
sponsible for  the  use  of  the  privileges  which  are  secured 
by  Liberty,  regulated  by  Law. 

If  the  sentiment  of  this  discourse  be  true  —  if 
Christianity  and  Republicanism  are  identical  —  the 
latter  being  but  a  form  for  the  spirit  of  the  other, 
then  one  thing  is  certain,  the  more  the  form  has  of 
the  spirit  it  embodies,  the  better  it  will  be. 


SERMON    X. 


BELIEF  IS  A  WORK. 


The:n  said  they  itnto  him,  What  shall  we  do,  that  we  may  work 

THE  WORK  OF  (jiOD?      JeSUS  AXSwERED,  ThIS  IS  THE  WORK  OF  GoD,  THAT 
TE  believe  ok  him  whom  he  HATH  SENT.— Joliu  vi.  28,  29. 


There  are  certain  admissions  made  by  all  Christians 
however  much  they  may  differ  in  reference  to  the  me- 
ritoriousness  of  works. 

They  all  admit  that  works  are  the  expression  of 
faith  —  they  make  it  manifest,  as  a  word  spoken  to 
tell  what  thought  is  in  our  minds. 

They  all  admit  that  works  test  the  quality  of  faith, 
and,  therefore,  there  are  earnest  efforts  on  all  sides  to 
claim  the  best  characters  as  the  fruits  of  the  best 
faith. 

It  is  also  admitted,  that  works  are  a  test  of  the 
depth  and  slreng-th  of  faith  ;  also  of  its  continuity  in 
the  soul,  as  a  living,  vital  force  always  makes  itself 
known  in  some  way. 


BELIEF   IS   A   WORK.  95 

Hence  there  is  a  constant  demand  for  works  in  con- 
nection with  faith.  This  is  common  to  all  sects,  par- 
ties and  clans ;  and  amid  all  the  diversity  of  creeds 
and  ordinances,  platforms  and  bases,  the  cry  is,  Show 
the  excellence  and  powers,  the  holiness  and  beauty, 
the  depth,  breadth,  and  continuity  of  your  faith,  by 
your  works. 

But  the  idea  suggested  by  the  text  differs  from  all 
these.  It  stands  by  itself.  It  is  worthy  of  our  special 
notice  and  regard. 

That  idea  is,  that  Belief,  Faith,  is  itself  a  "  work." 
It  is  so  to  be  regarded  ;  and  only  as  we  so  look  upon 
it,  shall  we  be  able  to  attach  a  just  meaning  to  the 
expression  of  "  saving  faith." 

There  is  a  demand  now  pressing  upon  us  for  special 
notice  of  this,  because  there  is  a  constant  cry  against 
faith  as  not  to  be  considered  a  work  ;  and  when  the 
question  is  now  put  and  pressed,  "  What  shall  I  do 
to  be  saved  ?"  the  answer  of  the  Apostle  is  utterly 
passed  by,  and  something  else  is  substituted  as  the 
essential  doing. 

When  that  question  was  first  put,  it  was  by  the 
jailor,  and  the  answer  was  "  Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.^^  That  was  Paul's  answer  in  reference 
to  what  constituted  saving  doing.  "  What  shall  I  do  ?" 
is  answered  by,  ''  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ !" 
It  is  the  answer  of  the  New  Testament. 

Belief  is  a  work,  so  says  our  text  and  says  it 
grandly.  To  work  as  God  demanded,  was  to  believe 
on  Christ ;  and  we  never  rise  to  a  true  perception  of 
this  matter  till  we  see  that  Belief  is  a  work  as  well  as 


96  BELIEF  IS   A  WORK. 

a  working  power,  as  the  Steam  Engine  is  a  work 
as  well  as  a  working  thing.  It  fills  you  with  admira- 
tion to  look  ax  it,  as  to  see  it  operate.  The  Engine, 
and  what  the  Engine  does,  are  two  distinct  matters  ; 
so  with  Belief  as  a  work,  and  Belief  as  a  Working 
Force. 

It  is  the  neglect  of  this  that  makes  so  much  of  tra- 
ditionary belief  in  the  world  —  an  absence  of  any 
thing  like  a  real,  profound,  heart-searching  and  soul- 
struggling  conviction  or  experience. 

When  belief  becomes  a  matter  of  work  of  toil,  of 
reasoning,  prayer,  and  study,  it  is  laid  away,  and  the 
soul  is  told,  "  Take  thine  ease  —  be  a  babe  in  the 
School  of  Christ  —  remain  submissive  and  keep  on 
the  safe  side." 

I  have  been  told  by  scores  that  when  they  began  to 
make  belief  a  work  —  begun  to  see  whether  they  were 
on  the  right  basis  or  not,  they  found,  first,  that  they 
inwardly  trembled  to  pursue  the  work  ;  and,  second, 
their  religious  teachers  advised  them  to  abandon  the 
effort. 

And  what  do  such  things  prove  ?  They  prove  that 
tlie  force  of  education,  and  the  policy  of  the  exclusive 
Church,  tend  to  draw  away  the  mind  from  its  appro- 
priate work  —  from  searching  to  the  root  of  the  mat- 
ter of  belief,  and  testing  the  difterence  between  a  per- 
sonal and  inherited  thing. 

Instead  of  honoring  the  man  who  proves  he  has 
made  Ijclicf  a  matter  of  mental  and  moral  toil,  he  is 
treated  as  a  suspicious  and  dangerous  personage. 
The  prompting  that  impelled  him  to  look  up  the  rea- 


BELIEF   IS   A   WORK.  97 

sons  for  his  traditionary  faith,  and  test  their  vahie  and 
scriptural  claims,  are  considered  and  denounced  as 
the  suggestions  of  Satan. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  who  goes  the  treadmill 
round  of  the  Church,  who  treats  the  matter  of  belief 
as  something  settled  for  him  by  the  Baptism  he 
received  in  infancy,  or  the  Catechism  he  learned  in 
childhood,  is  regarded  as  a  true  servant  of  Christ  and 
is  honored  as  such,  when  there  is  every  reason  to 
conclude,  that  had  he  lived  in  the  day  of  Jesus,  he 
would  not  have  been  moulded  by  his  precepts. 

That  Christians  do,  notwithstanding  this  course, 
honor  in  their  hearts,  the  man  of  free  and  independ- 
ent mind,  who  uses  his  mind  to  work  out  for  himself 
the  religious  problem,  is  evident  from  the  respect  paid 
to  historical  personages  who  have  illustrated  the 
stupendous  benefits  that  may  flow  from  one  man's 
making  belief  a  work  —  taking  the  popular  faith  to 
pieces  —  examining  its  parts  and  the  relation  of  the 
parts  as  a  machinist  does  a  machine  with  a  skill  that 
is  on  the  alert  for  improvements  and  discoveries. 

When  Luther  glanced  with  an  eye  of  fire  on  the 
text,  "  Tiie  Just  shall  live  by  Faith,"  and  the  thought 
went  searchingly  into  his  soul,  that  all  the  ceremonials 
of  the  Church  could  take  no  rank  with  faith,  and  facts 
and  penances  and  bodily  mortifications,  could  not  be 
what  they  were  maintained  to  be,  belief  became  a 
work  indeed.  It  summoned  every  energy  of  his  mind  ; 
and  when  the  bugle  blast  of  the  Reformation  roused 
the  people  to  independent  thought  —  to  a  demand  for 
the  Scripture  —  to  the  claim  for  the  Right  of  Private 
9 


98  BELIEF   IS   A   WORK. 

Judgment,  what  was  it  but  the  voice  of  a  soul  that 
told  the  agony  of  its  questioning  —  its  toil  at  think- 
ing— the  intense  labor  in  the  laboratory  of  the  mind — 
the  wasting  work  of  the  refiner  as  he  separated  the 
gold  from  the  dross. 

So  too  when  a  mind  has  taken  the  attention  of  the 
world  by  rising  above  the  nothingness  of  Infidel- 
ity and  entering  the  realm  of  everlasting  realities  in 
the  light  of  Christianity,  the  Church  cannot  but 
admire  the  work  which  belief  required.  It  points  to 
the  story  of  such  a  life  as  though  it  were  an  image  of 
the  resurrection  from  death  to  glory.  It  shows  what 
a  gloom  and  bitterness,  what  a  desolation  and  barren- 
ness surround  the  mind  in  the  domain  of  Infidelity  ; 
and  it  says,  "  See  the  grandeur  and  magnificence  into 
which  the  soul  hath  wrought  its  way  !  0  that  gran- 
deur and  magnificence  Avell  repays  the  toil." 

So,  too,  when  the  mind  has  been  overshadowed  with 
doubt,  and  like  Dr.  Pay  son,  has  had  times  of  unbelief 
when  it  hardly  had  faith  in  the  existence  of  God  while 
writing  sermons  on  his  sovereignty,  the  happier  moods 
into  which  the  soul  vnorked  its  way,  are  dwelt  upon 
as  beautiful  encouragements  for  the  desponding  and 
doubtful. 

And  there  is  on  all  sides  of  us,  an  applauding  voice 
for  the  mind  that  is  at  work  to  get  out  from  beneath 
the  doubts  that  oppress,  with  the  exulting  word, 
"  Why  art  tliou  cast  down,  0  my  soul  ?"  &c. 

But  all  this  goes  for  nothing  if  the  belief  worked 
out  is  opposite  to  the  reigning  creed  ;  and  this,  there- 
fore, is  the  test  of  the  liberality  of  any  man,  or  party, 


BELIEF   IS   A   WORK.  99 

or  sect.  It  is  the  mind  that  is  honored  because  of  its 
work,  or  the  results  at  which  the  mind  arrives  —  those 
results  being  favorable  to  the  creed  received  by  the 
applauder  ? 

The  former  is  the  better  stand,  because  it  is  only  by 
honoring  the  independent  mind,  separate  from  the 
results  at  which  it  aims  or  achieves,  that  we  afford  any 
encouragement  to  vigorous  efforts  to  help  the  race  in 
its  progress.  It  is  nothing  but  selfishness  that  accepts 
results  where  results  are  clearly  worked  out  —  when 
the  mind  has  by  arduous  toil  solved  the  problem  and 
lit  the  light  of  glory.  The  honoring  of  mind  is  seen 
in  upholding  the  earnest  thinker  in  his  wearisome  toil 
—  in  cheering  him  on  in  the  applications  essential  to 
success ;  and  it  is  on  this  ground  that  I  claim  for 
Liberal  Christianity  the  highest  friendliness  for  mind, 
because  it  makes  the  approval  of  God  to  rest  upon 
efforts  and  their  quality,  and  not  on  results  according 
to  a  given  standard.  It  does  not  fasten  moral  turpi- 
tude to  mental  error. 

So  with  the  Saviour.  All  through  the  story  of  the 
Evangelists  there  breatlies  the  spirit  of  liberal  thought. 
Christ  struck  all  shackles  from  the  working  powers 
of  the  mind,  and  the  grand  moral  of  the  fact,  that 
the  Regenerator  of  the  World  came  forth  from 
among  the  common  people  and  out  from  the  carpen- 
ters' shop,  appears  to  be,  to  set  forth  the  dignity  of 
mind  separate  from  all  social  position.  "  Whence 
hath  this  man  this  wisdom!  How  knoweth  he  the 
great  things  of  the  soul,  of  religion  and  of  God,  hav- 
ing never  entered  the  school  of  the  Prophets  !" 


100  BELIEF   IS   A   WORK. 

No  matter  liow  lie  learned,  no  matter  whence  he  de- 
rived his  wisdom  ;  the  question  is,  "  Is  he  the  Messiah 
of  God  ?" 

As  Christ  worked  out  a  belief  in  the  divine  origin 
of  his  mission,  so  is  a  vital,  quickening,  saving  faith 
in  him  to  be  wrought  out. 

His  union  with  God  was  the  perfection  of  faith. 
He  found  his  first  work  for  God  in  the  toil  of  soul 
that  alone  could  lead  him  from  the  poverty  and  ob- 
scurity of  his  birth  and  youth,  to  the  sublime  heights 
of  that  Mount  wherefrom  he  pronounced  the  Beati- 
tudes. 

"  Cold  mountains  and  the  midnight  air, 
Witnessed  the  fervor  of  his  prayer ; 
The  desert  his  temptation  knew, 
His  conflict,  and  his  victory  too." 

A  work  —  a  mighty  work  —  a  work  of  prayer  and 
study  —  of  logic  and  the  heart ' —  of  brain  and  soul, 
—  of  day  and  night  is  before  us,  ere  we  shall  rise  to 
the  full  height  of  belief  in  him  whom  God  sent  to  be 
the  Saviour  of  the  World. 

And  with  the  New  Testament  open  before  us,  we 
may  boldly  say,  The  more  we  work  out  in  our  minds 
a  clear  faith  in  Christ,  the  more  shall  we  know  of 
salvation.  To  do  unto  salvation  is  first  of  all,  to 
believe  in^hc'Lord  Jesus  Christ.  God  will  own  this 
as  a  work  —  because  it  is  the  union  of  forces  that 
move  the  man,  and  verifies  morally  the  saying  of  the 
Redeemer  respecting  faith  removing  mountains. 


BELIEF  IS   A   WORK.  101 

Let  US  encourage,  what  Jesus  demanded  in  liis  time 
on  earth, —  free,  independent,  personal  thinkhig  ;  and 
where  this  is  scorned  because  of  some  of  its  results, 
we  can  answer  with  the  poet : — 

"  One  indeed  I  knew 
In  many  a  subtle  question  versed, 
Who  touched  a  jarrinjr  lyre  at  first, 
But  ever  strove  to  make  it  true: 

Perplexed  in  faith,  but  pure  in  deeds, 
At  last  he  beat  his  music  out  — 
There  lives  more  faith  in  honest  doubt, 
Believe  me  than  in  half  the  creeds. 

He  fought  his  doubts  and  gathered  strength, 
He  would  not  make  his  judgment,  bHnd, 
He  faced  the  spectres  of  the  mind 
And  laid  them  :  thus  he  came  at  length 
To  find  a  strono;er  faith  his  own." 


SERMON   XI 


JESUS  THE  SOX  OF  GOD. 
Dost  thott  believe  ois  the  Son  or  God  ? — John  ix.  35. 

This  was  the  question  of  the  Saviour  to  the  Blind 
Man  to  whom  Sight  had  been  given. 

That  man  knew  not  who  had  healed  him,  but  he 
stoutly  maintained  that  whoever  it  was  who  had  heal- 
ed him,  came  from  God  ;  and  when  nothing  else  could 
be  obtained  from  him,  the  Jews  of  his  synagogue  de- 
clared he  was  altogether  born  in  sin,  and  they  were 
not  to  be  taught  by  him.     And  they  cast  him  out. 

When  Jesus  heard  of  this,  he  had  peculiar  sympa- 
thy for  the  man  and  he  sought  him.  That  man  had 
suffered  in  his  cause.  He  had  met  reproach  and  in- 
sult, had  been  scorned  and  expelled  from  the  religious 
associations  of  his  whole  life,  because  he  would  not 
relinquish  the  logical  connection  between  the  Miracle 
and  the  Character  of  him  who  wrought  it. 

When  Jesus  found  him,  he  asked  him,  ''  Dost  thou 
believe  on  the  Son  of  God  ?  '* 


JESUS   THE   SON   OF   GOD.  103 

The  man  seems  to  have  been  impressed  by  tlie  ap- 
pearance and  tone,  or  something  in  the  manner  of 
Jesus,  for  he  called  him  "  Lord,"  and  said,  "  Who  is 
he,  Lord,  that  I  might  believe  ?  " 

He  was  ready  to  believe.  He  only  wanted  the  Son 
of  God  pointed  out  in  a  convincing  manner,  to  insure 
the  flowing  of  his  heart  towards  him.  His  soul  had 
been  elevated  by  the  deed  wrought  upon  him,  and  he 
had  readiness  of  mind  for  things  sacred. 

Jesus  said,  "  Thou  hast  both  seen  him,  and  it  is  he 
that  talketh  with  thee." 

Doubtless,  this  was  accompanied  with  the  resump- 
tion of  that  unction  with  which  Jesus  spake  the  di- 
rection to  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam,  or  by  something 
else  which  convinced  the  man  beyond  question  of  the 
identity  of  the  Miracle  Worker  and  the  Speaker,  for 
he  threw  himself  prostrate  before  him,  in  the  form  of 
Oriental  homage,  and  said,  ^'  Lord,  I  believe  !  " 

There  are  many  like  this  man  when  he  was  enjoy- 
ing the  blessing  of  the  gift  of  sight,  and  knew  not  to 
whom  he  was  indebted.  The  finger  of  Power  which 
Christianity  now  stretches  forth  is  potent  to  give  sight 
where  otherwise  would  be  blindness.  Many  see  who 
know  not  that  it  was  Jesus  who  gave  this  power  of 
sight,  and  they  attribute  to  Natural  Religion  what 
never  was  enjoyed  till  Christ  came.  A  cheerful 
study  of  Nature  was  never  entered  into  before  ;  and 
the  balmy  breath  of  summer  no  more  truly  changes 
the  atmosphere  from  the  chill  and  cold  of  winter  and 
early  spring,  than  Christ  has  made  more  genial  to  the 
human  mind  the  very  atmosphere  of  common  thought. 


104  JESUS   THE   SON   OF   GOD. 

Some  care  not  to  wake  from  this  ignorance.  It  is 
enough  to  them  that  they  see,  and  they  are  willing  to 
rejoice  in  benefits  which  cost  discoverers  much,  with- 
out heeding  in  the  least  the  demand  for  acknowl- 
edgment and  gratitude  towards  their  benefactors. 

But  there  are  others,  who,  like  the  man  addressed 
in  the  text,  are  ready  to  know  and  to  pay  homage  to 
their  benefactors.  They  will  not  shrink  from  discus- 
sion, or  any  duty  that  belongs  to  the  honor  of  what 
they  know  is  good.  And  as  the  man  addressed  by  the 
Redeemer  doubtless  found  from  the  religion  of  Christ 
what  was  better  than  physical  sight,  so  the  common 
benefactions  of  Christianity  are  outweighed  by  those 
blessings  into  which  the  soul  enters  by  that  belief 
which  is  a  work  —  a  matter  of  personal  thought  and 
investigation. 

Here,  then,  is  the  question,  "  Dost  thou  believe  on 
the  Son  of  God  ? "  Are  the  blessings  which  are 
thine  in  the  very  atmosphere  of  mental,  moral,  social 
and  domestic  existence,  which  had  their  origin  in  the 
Ministry  of  Jesus, — are  they  connected  distinctly  with 
a  personal  Saviour  ?  and  is  thy  faith  in  the  Son  of 
God,  while  thine  eyes  are  drinking  in  the  light  of  the 
moral  universe  as  only  his  truth  could  enable  thee  to 
do? 

There  are  many  who  shake  off  these  questions. 
Christianity  is  to  tliem  a  living  fact.  It  can  no  more 
be  blinked  out  of  existence  than  sight  can  be  blind- 
ness ;  but  as  to  any  process  of  thought  by  which  they 
are  to  settle  the  personal  claim  of  Christ  —  what  he 
was,  and  is,  and  will  be,  is  too  much  work  for  them. 


JESUS   THE   SON   OF   GOD.  105 

Whether  Christ  is  merely  a  myth,  or  a  historical 
personage,  they  cannot  say.  "Whether  he  ended  his 
personal  and  official  relation  to  onr  race  at  his  death, 
or  not,  they  will  not  decide.  And,  therefore,  the 
great  questions  of  his  Resurrection  and  his  Mediation 
are  less  to  them  than  ■whether  Cuba  will  he  annexed, 
or  intervention  or  non-intervention  prevail  in  tlie  na- 
tional policy.  "  Dost  thou  believe  in  the  Son  of 
God  ?  "  is  to  them  a  question  not  pertinent  to  the 
times  ;  and  they  have  too  much  work  to  do,  to  work 
out  the  greatest  of  all  problems. 

It  is  needful,  then,  to  get,  if  possible,  some  short 
and  easy  method  of  presenting  the  claim  of  Christ, 
that  the  work  may  not  appear  too  great  in  the  way  of 
those  who  should  receive  his  Sonship,  as  the  heir  of 
all  things,  in  the  divinest  sense. 

I  treat  now  of  those  who  acknowledge  the  blessing 
of  Christianity,  who  see  its  forces  in  the  history  of 
civilization  and  in  the  institutions  that  are  monu- 
ments of  its  power ;  but  who  go  no  farther.  They 
enjoy  sight  where,  without  Christianity,  they  would 
be  blind ;  but  they  know  not  who  it  is  that  sent 
abroad  the  powers  of  healing  and  made  the  atmos- 
phere sight-giving,  instead  of  contributing  to  the  con- 
tinuance of  human  moral  blindness. 

Now,  the  grand  evidence  of  the  Sonship  of  Christ, 
in  the  divinest  sense,  is  the  evidence  of  Christianity 
as  something  more  than  Deism  —  as  really  a  Revela- 
tion from  God. 

That  evidence  is  this  :  Christ  and  Christianity  are 
the  fulness  of  ages.     They  are  the  Great  Sea  into 


106  JESUS  THE  SON   OF  GOD. 

wliicli  all  streams  of  wisdom  and  prophecy  flowed. 
Christ  might  have  said,  "  Thou  hast  beset  me  behind 
and  before,  and  laid  thine  hand  upon  me."  He  thus 
stands  amid  the  ages  —  a  central  object  of  the  provi- 
dence of  the  Besetting  God.  Ages  pointed  forward 
to  Him,  as  centuries  point  back  to  Him ;  and  new 
forces  were  promised  in  Him,  as  new  forces  have  flow- 
ed from  Him.  Tlie  same  process  of  thought  that 
makes  me  believe  in  God  intellectually,  makes  me 
believe  in  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God  in  the  divinest 
sense  ;  and  as  my  spirit  seems  from  its  own  self,  as 
by  intuition  or  instinct,  to  believe  in  God,  when  I 
commune  with  his  works  and  ways  with  more  of 
prayer  than  logic,  so  when  I  muse  on  the  works  and 
ways  of  Christ,  as  prefigured  in  the  oracles  of  proph- 
ets and  recorded  in  the  trutbful  pages  of  the  Evan- 
gelists, my  heart  goes  out  after  him  as  the  Sent  of 
God.  "  While  I  muse,  the  fire  burns  ;  "  and  there  is 
nothing  of  undue  claims  where  he  says,  "  Ye  believe 
in  God,  believe  also  in  me." 

As  I  try  to  analyze  my  convictions  and  see  where 
they  come  from,  I  find,  in  the  first  place,  that  the 
soul  is  greater  than  logic  —  that  we  have  sentiments 
that  logic  never  gave  —  affections  and  sympathies,  as 
well  as  reasoning  faculties  and  argumentative  powers  ; 
and  something  of  my  belief  in  Christ  and  Christian- 
ity is  to  be  attributed  to  the  power  of  these  affections 
and  sympathies,  that  make  the  heart  "  fall  in  love" 
with  some  things  which  God  has  made  for  it. 

I  find,  next,  in  the  life  of  Jesus  —  in  the  facts  giv- 
en of  his  career,  evidence  that  God  was  with  him  in 


JESUS  THE  SON  OF  GOD.  107 

the  highest  sense ;  and  then,  too,  the  structure  of 
Christianity  itself,  as  a  Religion,  unfolds  the  most 
convincing  evidence  that  he  who  built  it  was  of  God, 
and  his  claims  are  divine. 

I  then  read  those  claims  and  find  Him  connecting 
himself  with  his  religion,  its  growth  and  power,  as 
the  stock  and  root  of  the  vine  are  connected  with, 
and  are  the  vitality  of,  the  branches.  Around  his 
Personality,  through  the  ages  of  progress,  as  while  he 
lived  on  earth,  I  find  the  mission  of  his  religion  con- 
nected ;  and  I  cannot  receive  Christianity  —  I  cannot 
see  it  any  wiiere,  without  seeing  Christ  and  the  claims 
of  his  sublime  personal  relation  to  our  race. 

But,  as  I  have  said,  the  one  grand  evidence  of  the 
Sonship  of  Jesus  in  the  divinest  sense,  is,  that  he  is 
the  fulness  of  the  ages,  and  from  his  fulness  ages  yet 
to  be,  are  to  derive  their  noblest  power  —  the  grand- 
est forces  for  progress. 

The  first  of  these  positions  is  proved  by  the  annals 
of  the  world  —  not  the  Bible  only,  but  human  histo- 
ries bear  witness  to  the  fact,  that  Christ  is  the  One 
Being  needful  for  our  race  —  the  Mighty  Power  of 
God,  "  made  unto  us  wisdom  and  righteousness,  sanc- 
tification  and  redemption." 

No  matter  what  our  views  may  be  of  the  Jews  as  a 
people,  the  fact  lies  plain  on  the  pages  of  history,  that 
through  them  the  divinest  things  given  for  human 
progress,  before  the  advent  of  Christ,  were  bestowed, 
and  the  wine  is  consecrated,  though  the  chalice  be 
earthen.  Their  religion  stands  out  in  bold  relief; 
and  their  literature,  while  it  is  the  oldest,  is  yet  the 
most  inspiring  of  the  nations  of  antiquity. 


108  JESUS  THE  SON  OF  GOD. 

And  this  religion  which  is  thus  standing  out  and 
so  marked  of  God,  points  beyond  itself.  It  is  not 
complete.  Its  excellence,  above  all  others,  does  not 
banish  a  loftier  ideal,  and  its  sublimest  bards  sing  of 
a  Promised  Being ;  and  just  where  the  Prophet  as- 
sumes the  most  unequivocal  attitude  of  prophecy,  he 
speaks  the  clearest  of  the  Coming  and  Fate  of  One 
whose  fulfilment  is  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  seen  by 
reading  the  fifty-third  chapter  of  Isaiah,  and  compar- 
ing therewith  the  life  and  death  of  Jesus  and  the 
testimonies  of  his  Apostles.  Philip  might  well  preach 
Jesus  from  this  prophet,  to  the  Ethiopian  Eunuch, 
who  read  in  the  book  of  Isaiah  without  discernment 
of  the  meaning. 

But  if  you  receive  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  read  them  with  a  less  strict  adherence  to 
the  letter  and  become  mindful  only  of  their  spirit  — 
taking  the  sweep  of  the  prophetical  wing  rather  than 
the  detail  of  its  feathers,  you  shall  feel  there  is  a 
mighty  current  of  prophecy  bearing  on  towards  the 
Coming  of  such  a  personage  as  Christ ;  as  the  land- 
breeze  fans  the  mariner  to  his  great  delight  till  he  sees 
the  land,  and  hears  the  bells  ring  from  the  sacred 
towers. 

The  need  of  such  a  Being  was  confessed  by  the 
condition  of  other  portions  of  the  world  outside  of 
Judaism ;  and  when  Christ  came,  there  was  some- 
thing symbolical  in  the  Greek  who  came  to  Philip  and 
said,  "  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus."  To  him,  the 
best  things  of  modern  progress  are  to  be  traced ; 
and  the  wonderful  rapidity  with  which  Christianity 


JESUS  THE  SON   OF  GOD.  109 

was  spread  among  the  nations,  with  no  element  of 
conformity  to  the  world,  can  only  be  accounted  for 
on  the  ground  of  the  ages  of  preparation  for  its  ad- 
vent and  the  necessity  for  it,  and  that  Jesus  was  in- 
deed the  Son  of  God. 


10 


SERMON    XII. 


CHRIST    MADE    A   PHANTOM. 

Every  spirit  that  conpesseth  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in 
THE  flesh,  is  not  OF  GoD.— 1  John  iv.  2. 

And  did  ever  human  folly  go  so  far  as  this,  assert- 
ing the  unreality  of  Christ's  bodily  presence,  and 
making  him  but  a  phantom  ?  Even  so  is  the  testi- 
mony of  history.  The  apostle  was  not  "  as  one  that 
beated  the  air,"  in  his  opposition  so  frequently 
expressed  in  his  epistles.  He  had  been  with  Jesus. 
He  had  leaned  upon  his  breast.  He  had  felt  the 
heaving  of  that  breast,  the  beating  of  that  heart,  and 
he  arrayed  himself  firmly  and  intelligibly  against  the 
philosophy  of  his  times,  that  really,  in  effect,  made 
Jesus  Christ  a  phantom  —  an  existence  without  bodily 
proportions  and  substantiality. 

And  what  a  great  error  is  that,  in  any  form,  that 
makes  Jesus  but  as  a  vision  of  the  night  —  something 
like  the  ghost  in  Hamlet,  when  Hamlet  cried,  "He  is 
here  !  he  is  here  !  he  is  gone  !"  Truth  affects  us  in 
proportion  as  it  is  distinct  in  our  apprehension,  stand- 


CHRIST   MADE  A   PHANTOM.  Ill 

ing  out  in  bold  relief;  and  to  give  the  highest  truth 
the  noblest  embodiment,  so  that  it  might  in  the  fair- 
est and  most  glorious  proportions  be  takei\  into  the 
mind,  God  sent  his  Son,  a  living,  human,  tempted, 
struggling,  conquering  being,  a  representative  or 
image  of  liimself.  Dear  as  the  support  of  our  grand- 
est hope  should  be  the  argument  for  his  reality  as 
having  come  in  the  flesh  —  the  seed  of  Abraham,  the 
son  of  Mary,  the  perfect  man,  the  conscious,  willing, 
and  disinterested  sacrifice. 

But  there  were  those  in  the  time  of  John  the  Apos- 
tle who  maintained  the  inherent  evil  of  matter, 
and  that  all  spirit,  or  mind,  was  good.  They  recog- 
nized all  intelligences  as  so  many  emanations  —  rays 
thrown  out  from  the  Great  Spirit,  as  scintillations  are 
thrown  from  the  sun,  retaining  the  purity  of  their 
source.  To  exalt  the  purity  of  Christ,  to  make  him 
the  illustrious  soul  they  desired  to  recognize  him, 
they  were  forced  to  deny  the  reality  of  his  bodily 
presence,  and  maintain  that  it  was  but  show,  without 
substance.  That  he  actually  died  upon  the  Cross 
they  could  not  allow,  and  some  argued  that  when  the 
cross  was  taken  by  Simon  the  Cyrenean,  a  change  was 
made,  and  the  Cyrenean  was  actually  crucified,  while, 
in  his  shape  and  appearance,  Jesus  passed  away.  How 
absurd  the  conclusions  to  which  theories  drive  men ! 
for  this  gives  to  the  Cyrenean  the  glory  of  the  death 
on  the  cross,  which  is  really  the  crowning  of  Christ's 
life  on  earth. 

Against  these  ideas  the  apostle  protested.  He  that 
confesseth  not  that  Christ  was  really  a  man,  a  proper 


112  CHRIST  MADE  A  PHANTOM. 

substantiality,  is  not  of  God  —  is  not  instructed  by 
the  divine  Spirit  —  hath  not  the  truth. 

John's  opposition  to  this  vagary  of  the  Gnostics 
intimates  or  suggests  to  us  that  we  must  be  careful 
that  we  do  not,  in  effect,  make  Christ  a  phantom,  a 
poetic  vision,  a  dreamy  something,  a  sublime  ideal 
unrealized  in  flesh  and  blood ;  a  mythological  crea- 
tion, that  vanishes  at  the  touch  of  philosophical  criti- 
cism. We  must  do  nothing  to  undermine  the  actual- 
ity of  Jesus,  removing  him  from  the  proper  personal- 
ities of  history,  lest  in  hours  of  mortal  need  we  find, 
that  where  we  Want  something  as  palpable  as  Thomas 
found  when  he  put  his  hand  into  the  pierced  side  of 
Jesus,  we  have  really  but  a  phantom,  whose  lips  of 
air  melt  ere  a  word  drops  on  our  hearing. 

There  are  many  who  do  not  weigh  well  this  mat- 
ter. They  deem  it  of  little  consequence  whether 
they  have  an  ideal  or  an  historical  personage  as  the 
embodiment  of  excellence.  They  say  the  idea  is 
sufhcient,  and  rest  satisfied  with  that.  They  talk  of 
Christianity  being  as  old  as  creation ;  that  it  is  but 
the  growth  of  the  idea  of  the  race  ;  but  they  overlook 
the  essential  difference  between  the  effect  of  a  mere 
idea  and  an  actual  person,  and  that  if  by  any  subtlety 
of  metaphysics,  or  play  of  poetic  fancy,  or  theological 
vagary,  we  make  Jesus  not  to  have  labored  and  suf- 
fered, died  and  rose,  as  the  Gospels  represent  him, 
the  real,  regenerating  power  of  his  example  is  gone ; 
there  is  no  reality  in  that  example  ;  it  is  but  as  fine 
poetry,  or  fine  music,  and  the  whole  of  Christ's  resist 
ance  of  evil  is  less  than  the  actor's  performance. 
Like  the  frost-work  on  the  whidow  pane,  so  beautiful 


CHRIST   MADE  A   PHANTOM.  113 

in  the  dawn,  one  warm  touch  of  sunlight  carries  it 
all  away. 

The  real  affects  us  far  differently  from  the  unreal. 
Two  portraits  equal  in  beauty  would  affect  us  differ- 
ently, were  one  from  a  real  face,  and  the  other  but  a 
fancy  sketch.  We  should  be  more  apt  to  say,  in  refer- 
ence to  the  former,  "I  should  like  to  see  her,"  than 
of  the  latter,  "I  should  like  to  see  some  one  like  her." 
How  different  is  the  effect  upon  different  travellers 
when  they  come  in  sight  of  certain  localities  in  the 
Holy  Land.  They  will  be  moved  much  alike  by  un- 
deniable facts,  such  as  the  elevation  where  the  holy 
city  stood,  the  Mount  of  Olives,  Bethany  and  Bethle- 
hem, with  their  hill-tops  and  sides ;  but  very  differ- 
ent when  the  matter  in  hand  refers  to  the  geographi- 
cal localities  of  the  details  in  the  life  of  Jesus  —  the 
spot  where  he  was  born,  the  sepulchre  where  he  lay. 
Alike  they  feel  the  poetry,  the  sentiment,  the  sacred 
teachings  of  all  the  incidents  referred  to,  but  only  in 
proportion  as  they  are  sure  that  they  are  not  dealing 
with/cmcT/,  but  with  reality^  are  they  moved  by  stand- 
ing on  hallowed  ground.  We  cannot  regard  what  we 
fear  is  a  phantom,  as  we  can  what  we  know  is  a  me- 
morial of  the  hallowed  past.  We  stand  in  fear  of 
the  coming  of  some  proof,  some  reasoning,  some  new 
incident,  that  will  take  away  our  former  conviction, 
and  all  the  poetry  and  beauty  over  which  we  were 
growing  sentimental,  leaves  us  like  Hamlet's  ghost 
again. 

"  It  was  about  to  speak,  when  the  cock  crew, 
And  then  it  started  like  a  guilty  thing 
Upon  a  fearful  summons." 

10* 


114  CHRIST  MADE  A  PHANTOM. 

Shakspeare  and  his  works  afford  an  illustration. 

Not  long  since,  there  was  a  sharp   criticism  in  one 
of  the  literary  journals  of  our  country  on  some  of  the 
attempts  to  clear  up  some  of  the  obscurities  that  hang 
around  portions  of  the  life  of  him  who  has  added 
great  worth  to  existence  by  his  works.     "Little,  very 
little,"  it  is  said,  "is  to  be   gained  by  such  labors; 
and  instead  of  wearying  ourselves  in  researches  and 
studies  upon  such  matters,  we  ought  to  be  enjoying 
the  works  which  arc  in  themselves  a  reality,  a  visible 
substance."     But  is  this  reasonable  ?     Can  we  enjoy 
those  really  visible  works  as  well,  as  deeply,  without 
any  fixed  ideas  respecting  Shakspeare  himself,  as  with 
some  ?     Are  the  works  the  reality  they  would  be,  or 
have  they  the  same   visibility   they  would   have  ?     I 
trow  not.     That  beautiful  work,  "The  Artist's  Mar- 
ried Life,"  has  another  reality,  another  visibility,  when 
you  read  it  not  merely  as  a  beautiful,  touching  and 
instructive  fiction,  but  as  the  picture  of  a  real  life  -^ 
the  life  of  Albrecher  Durer,  the  German  painter.     So 
with  the  works  of  Shakspeare.     It   is   worthy  of  any 
man's  attention  to  ask.  Were  these  works  the  product 
of  a  single  mind  ?     Did  the  Almighty  ever  pour  such 
affluence  of  genius  into  one  human  soul  ?     Did  great- 
ness like  this  spring  up  amid  humble  circumstances, 
and  what  were  those  circumstances  ? 

So  wedded  are  men  to  the  admiration  of  greatness 
in  distinction  from  the  works  of  greatness,  that  it  is 
vain  to  tell  them  not  to  waste  their  time  in  removing 
obscurities  from  the  memory  of  the  man.  We  cannot 
admire  what  is  the  product  of  many  nnnds  as  we  can 


CHRIST   MADE  A  PHANTOM.  115 

what  is  equally  great,  and  that  was  produced  by  one. 
It  is  absurd  to  say  that  the  victories  of  Napoleon 
would  be  the  same  to  us  if  we  divided  the  genius  that 
wrought  them  between  his  Marshals,  rather  than  attrib- 
uted them  to  that  magnificent,  though  terrible  soul. 

There  is  a  poor  philosophy  that  pulls  down  the 
greatness  of  individuals  by  its  talk  ol  their  being  but 
reservoirs  of  the  ages,  whereas  greatness  is  really  in- 
dividuality —  something  as  distinct  and  personal  as 
the  head  of  Webster,  or  the  eye  of  Clay,  or  the  dig- 
nity and  majesty  of  Washington. 

Our  admiration  of  beauty,  truth,  power  in  ideas,  is 
a  different  thing  from  our  admiration  of  the  same  in 
persons.  Socrates  and  William  Penn  affect  us  far 
differently  than  the  ideas  which  they  represented, 
acted,  lived,  however  beautifully  the  idea  may  be  set 
forth  by  orator,  divine,  or  poet.  And  yet  it  is  said 
that  it  is  not  the  Shakspeare  of  flesh  and  blood  that 
we  should  be  concerned  about,  but  that  other  being 
who  has  come  down  to  us  robed  in  poetry,  and  who 
speaks  to  us  —  a  spiritual  essence  addressing  the 
thought  and  the  divine  image  we  bear  within  us. 
This  is  he  of  whom  it  is  worth  our  while  to  take  any 
note. 

But  this  will  not  do.  It  will  not  do  for  those  who 
think,  of  whence  comes  the  genius  we  meet  in  those 
wonderful  works  ?  Did  a  being  capable  of  all  this 
ever  come  in  the  flesh  ?  What  did  such  a  soul,  if 
such  a  soul  there  was,  do  witli  common  life  ?  AVhen 
genius  cries  out  against  his  sphere,  his  lowly  life,  his 
small  means,  the  removal  of  learning's  aids  from  him, 


116  CHRIST   MADE    A  PHANTOM. 

is  he  rebuked  or  mocked  by  what  Shakspeare  had  ? 
Aje,  the  book  and  the  man  are  two  things.  Milton 
wrote  poetry ;  in  that  poetry  he  speaks  of  losing  his 
sight  in  the  cause  of  liberty.  Did  he  do  so  ?  He 
did,  and  the  thrill  that  comes  to  the  heart  as  that 
sonnet  on  his  blindness  is  read,  is  a  shaft  of  fire  from 
the  undeniable  fact  that  despite  the  physician's  warn- 
ing, Milton  wrote  because  liberty  was  imperilled,  and 
he  had  a  word  to  speak  for  her  cause.  I  asked  a 
blind  man  once  what  was  his  conception  of  his 
mother.  ^' She  is,"  said  he,  "a  beautiful  thought." 
1  regarded  the  answer  as  beautiful ;  but  he  confessed 
that  if  he  could  have  but  one  moment  of  sight,  he 
would  choose  to  use  it  in  seeing  a  human  face.  How 
different  to  him  —  what  a  greater  reality  and  more 
beautiful  visibility  —  would  be  the  sight  of  his  moth- 
er's face,  than  was  his  beautiful  thought ! 

No,  no,  it  will  not  do  to  set  up  that  kind  of  criti- 
cism that  says,  what  the  man  has  done  is  what  we 
want,  not  the  man.  It  is  base  ingratitude.  It  lowers 
most  shamefully  the  estimate  of  men.  Men  are  to  be 
valued  for  what  they  have  been^  as  well  as  for  what 
they  have  done.  I  value  Sir  Walter  Scott  for  his 
character  as  seen  in  his  efforts  to  retrieve  his  fortunes, 
more  than  I  value  his  novels,  great  and  immortal  as 
they  are.  I  deprecate  the  efforts  so  abundant  in  our 
day  to  depreciate  the  importance  of  historical  Chris- 
tianity, that  says,  '' Perhaps  Jesus  lived,  and  perhaps 
he  did  not.  He  may  have  lived  ;  he  may  have  been  a 
good  man,  but  it  matters  little  or  nothing.  Let  us 
take  what  he  taught  that  is  good,  and  live  it.'^ 


CHRIST  MADE  A  PHANTOM.  IIT 

I  pity  those  who  thus  dismiss  Christ  as  a  phantom 
that  has  spoken.  Dream  or  reaUty,  fable  or  histori- 
cal fact,  it  is  all  the  same  to  them.  Not  so  with 
John's  estimate  of  what  man  would  need.  He  that 
confesseth  not  that  the  Christ  of  whom  my  gospel 
treats,  who  is  there  portrayed  as  I  saw  him ;  he  who 
denies  that  that  excellence  came  in  the  flesh,  is  not  of 
God.  He  denies  God's  greatest  benefaction.  He 
accepts  not  the  grandest  thing  ever  done  for  human- 
ity. He  does  not  believe  that  the  highest  ideal  of 
character  has  been  realized  ;  the  best  of  all  possible 
revelations  of  God  has  been  lived,  to  see  which,  is  to 
see  the  Father.  But  to  us  who  receive  him,  his  words 
are  spirit  and  life,  for  they  were  lived ;  they  were  the 
spirit  of  the  most  beautiful  life. 

Our  reverence  for  our  nature  is  concerned  in  this 
matter.  We  judge  human  nature  as  it  appears  for 
judgment  in  personalities.  We  say  it  is  the  saddest 
thing  in  all  history  that  we  find  virtue  so  fragmenta- 
ry as  illustrated  in  characters.  Our  grief  is  that  it 
takes  so  many  geniuses  to  make  one  perfect  man. 
But  in  Jesus  we  find  all  virtues  comprehended.  In 
him  the  balance  is  perfected,  and  we  see  the  glory  of 
an  harmonious  development  of  our  nature.  To  make 
this  a  phantom  —  to  take  this  away  from  among  be- 
ings once  clothed  in  flesh,  is  a  robbery  of  humanity  — 
is  a  despoiling  of  History  of  its  crowning  character, 
its  chief  moral  glory. 

It  is  because  of  this  that  I  reject  with  moral  loath- 
ing that  rationalistic  criticism  that  makes  Jesiis  only 
an  Historical  Myth  or  hardly  that,  —  that  attributes 


118  CHRIST   MADE  A  PHANTOM. 

to  exaggerated  admiration  or  homage  of  seen  or  sup- 
posed excellence  the  exceeding  beauty  of  the  charac- 
ter of  Christ,  as  given  by  the  Evangelists.  It  makes 
the  Idea  form  the  Man,  instead  of  allowing  that  the 
Man  formed  the  Idea  ;  and  sets  up  the  most  remarka- 
ble of  all  suppositions,  —  that  is,  that  while  directly 
opposite  to  Avhat  Christ  was,  was  the  desire  and  ex- 
pectation of  the  Jews,  yet  men  fashioned  that  charac- 
ter out  of  what  they  had  been  cherishing.  The  Idea 
was,  this  theory  says,  in  the  Mass  before  it  appeared 
in  the  Individual.  But  where  is  the  proof  ?  Where 
is  the  evidence  that  such  an  Idea  existed  before  Christ 
lived  and  thus  gave  it  to  the  world  ? 

No,  it  will  not  do  to  lose  the  flesh  and  blood  ani- 
mated by  the  noblest  of  all  souls,  and  go  floating 
away  witli  a  phantom  Idea.  It  is  not  something  that 
may  be,  but  something  that  has  been  that  is  ours  in 
the  character  that  makes  the  centre  and  the  glory  of 
the  New  Testament.  Aspiring  man  is  not  mocked  in  his 
hour  of  grandest  moral  effort  by  his  Example  of  All 
Excellence  passing  into  nothingness  by  the  thought. 
"  No  one  ever  lived  thus  !  "  but  as  the  traveller  climbs 
the  steep  rock,  and  hangs  dizzy  in  the  air  at  a  peril- 
lous  height,  and  is  animated  to  greater  effort  to  climb 
the  crags  by  the  traces  of  some  one  having  gone  be- 
fore him  and  a  name  written  above  him,  so  the  fact 
that  Christ  has  conquered  —  really,  truly  —  has  a 
mighty  influence  to  encourage  to  the  noblest  efforts 
to  reach  the  highest  of  Christian  character. 

It  is  because  of  this  that  I  deem  it  a  matter  of 
Practical  Religion  to  oppose  the  doctrine  of  the  Trin- 


CHRIST   MADE  A  PHANTOM.  119 

ity  that  effectually  makes  Christ  a  phantom.  If  He 
was  the  very  God,  it  is  impossible,  in  the  nature 
of  things,  that  he  should  be  the  tempted,  struggling 
being  he  is  represented,  as  the  Evangelists  picture 
him.  Theologians  describe  him  as  having  a  life  with- 
in a  life — as  acting  a  part,  and  they  will  enter  into  de- 
tail to  show  how  nicely  he  regarded  prophecy,  and  how 
many  things  he  did  with  sole  reference  to  the  fulfilment 
of  some  ancient  word.  They  even  express  astonish- 
ment that  he  did  not  burst  from  the  cloud  that  veiled 
his  Godhead,  and  blast  those  who  insulted  his  last 
hours  ! 

It  is  not  possible  that  to  such  a  view  can  be  attach- 
ed the  moral  power  that  belongs  to  "  the  simplicity  of 
Christ."  If  behind  seeming  sensibility  and  suffering 
I  know  there  is  a  superhuman  power,  the  power  of 
the  Example  is  gone.  There  is  behind  the  outward 
seeming  a  calm,  mighty  and  sovereign  Spirit  that  re- 
views the  whole  and  contemplates  it,  as  Plato's  God 
is  represented  contemplating  the  eternal  Ideas  and 
working  through  them  in  the  creation  of  the  world. 

No,  Christ  is  a  distinct  and  subordinate  Mind.  He 
went  away  into  solitude,  on  the  mountain  top  and  by 
the  sea  shore,  to  pray.  He  lived  with  God  in  a  more 
intimate  companionship  than  any  other,  and  while  we 
accept  him  as  the  New  Testament  presents  him,  we 
do  not  have  to  play  at  shadows  —  now  seeing  one 
Deity  and  anon  another,  but  the  Father  is  enthroned 
in  undivided  supremacy,  and  to  Jesus  we  look  as  the 
Mediator  and  Redeemer,  who,  "  by  the  grace  of  God, 
tasted  death  for  every  man." 

But  are  there  not  those  who  cling  to  all  that  John 


120  CHRIST  MADE  A  PHANTOM. 

wrote  and  that  Paul  believed,  and  yet  nevertheless 
make  Christ  a  Phantom  —  visiting  them  in  time  of 
feverish  excitement,  of  entrancing  devotion,  or  when 
the  imagination  is  wrought  upon  by  some  affecting 
incident.  To  them  Christ  might  well  say,  "  A  little 
while  and  ye  shall  not  see  me.  And  again,  a  little  while 
and  ye  shall  see  me."  He  is  a  transient  guest  in  their 
hearts.  They  do  not  follow  him  as  a  soldier  his  leader, 
the  poet  his  theme,  the  artist  his  grand  ideal.  Christ 
to  them  is  away  off  in  the  Palestine  of  the  past,  or  in 
the  far  off  future  waiting  to  take  the  throne  of  Judg- 
ment. Christ  a  Phantom  !  Alas,  that  I  should  say 
it,  but  it  is  so  —  it  is  so  to  thousands  who  ought  to 
know  the  difference  between  passionate  enthusiasm 
and  a  steady,  strong  and  obedient  love. 

What  we  want  is  such  a  sight  of  Jesus  as  will  ex- 
ert a  transforming  power.  It  was  this  kind  of  seeing 
Jesus  that  wrought  the  vast  change  which  took  place 
in  the  first  centuries  of  the  Christian  Church.  It 
gave  new  elements  to  thought.  It  made  life  more  to 
be  desired.  It  poured  into  the  channel  of  human 
activity  new  forces  of  civilization  and  progress,  and 
every  department  of  social  life  felt  the  power  of  the 
grandest  of  all  lives. 

Phantom  though  he  may  be  to  many,  Jesus  has 
filled  the  world  with  his  Presence.  It  cannot  be  de- 
nied. It  is  a  moral,  spiritual  power.  It  has  its  judg- 
ment seat  in  our  midst,  and  men  of  the  world,  of  the 
bar  and  the  senate,  instead  of  attempting  to  set  aside 
his  Authority  when  it  crosses  their  path,  try  their 
power  to  bring  his  consecrated  name  to  the  support 


CHRIST  MADE  A   PHANTOM.  121 

of  tlieir  position.  Christ  is  no  Phantom.  He  is  be- 
fore us  in  social  usages,  laws,  institutions,  —  in  the 
best  blessings  of  our  homes,  the  best  aids  to  social 
improvement,  the  happiest  tendencies  of  the  wondrous 
activities  of  the  world.  He  repeats  his  miracles  by 
the  beneficence  he  inspires,  and  breathes  a  reverence 
for  man  that  gives  an  interest  to  every  form  of  hu- 
manity and  makes  the  effort  for  the  most  debased  an 
acceptable  act  of  worship.  He  addresses  our  immor- 
tal nature,  and  still  repeats,  "  I  am  the  Light  of  the 
world  —  I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life.  If  any 
man  thirst  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink.  I  am 
the  Bread  of  God.  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden  and  I  will  give  you  rest ;  take 
my  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek 
and  lowly  of  heart ;  and  ye  shall  find  rest  to  your 
souls." 

Accept  him,  0  ye  who  are  in  constant  unrest.  Let 
him  be  more  than  the  Phantom  of  the  devotional 
hour.  Adopt  no  theory  that  dissolves  him  into  a 
thin  shade  —  that  denies  him  present  existence  and 
activity,  his  Mediatorial  and  Redeeming  mission.  He 
lives.  We  may  know  him,  and  over  our  souls  may 
come  the  power  of  his  love,  as  we  feel  the  coolness 
of  the  air  reviving  our  languid  energies  ;  though 
the  fountain  that  thus  ministers  to  our  comfort  is 
unseen  and  shines  in  its  rainbowed  glory  afar. 


11 


SERMON    XIII 


UNBELIEF  HELPED. 

And  stkaightway  the  father  of  the  child  cried  out  attd  said 
WITH  tears,  Lord,  I  believe!  help  thou  my  unbelief.— Mark  ix.  14. 

Where  the  confession  of  unbelief  is  made  with  tears 
and  made  to  Christ,  the  smallness  of  belief  will  be 
compassionately  dealt  with. 

He  made  no  unreasonable  demands.  "  I  have," 
said  he,  "  many  things  to  say  unto  yon,  bnt  ye  can- 
not bear  them  now ;"  and  in  this  spirit  Panl  treated 
those  who  were  to  him  but  babes,  and  were  to  be  fed 
with  the  milk  of  the  word.  "  Him  that  is  weak  in 
faith  receive  ye,"  he  said ;  and  honest  doubts  were 
more  respected  than  the  credulity  that  swallows  with- 
out tasting. 

The  scene  with  which  the  text  is  connected  is  one 
of  peculiar  impressivcness. 

A  lad  was  brought  to  the  Saviour  who  was  terribly 
diseased,  so  that  he  was  subject  to  epileptic  fits,  and 
soon  as  he  came  into  the  presence  of  Jesus,  he  fell  on 
the  ground,  and  wallowed,  foaming.     It  was  awful  to 


UNBELIEF   HELPED.  123 

see  him.  He  was  dumb,  and  tore  about  like  some 
ravishing  beast,  gnashing  liis  teeth,  so  that  no  wonder 
the  Apostles  or  the  seventy  were  affrighted  and  could 
not  heal  him. 

Jesus  accepted  the  case  as  one  of  those  where  the 
outward  appearance  had  beguiled  away  faith,  and  to 
calm  the  father  and  the  multitude,  doubtless  he  asked 
how  long  the  lad  had  been  thus  afflicted,  and  the  ans- 
wer of  the  father  was,  "  Of  a  child."  Then  he  went 
on  to  tell  how  the  poor  creature  had  suffered,  and 
how  into  the  fire  and  into  the  water  he  had  been 
thrown  by  the  contortions  and  agonies  he  suffered ; 
"  but  if,"  said  this  father,  "  thou  canst  do  any  thing, 
have  compassion  on  us,  and  help  us." 

There  was  something  here  that  might  indicate  a 
want  of  confidence  in  the  power  of  Jesus.  One  thing 
was  certain,  the  Disciples  could  not  do  any  thing. 
Hope  was  all  baffled  by  their  effort,  and  the  poor 
father  of  the  writhing  and  tossing  lad  might  think 
that  the  hope  of  having  the  son  healed  was  "  too  good 
to  be  true."  And  then  too  his  language  only  betoken- 
ed the  wish  for  something  to  be  done.  He  was  not 
lifted  up  to  the  great  desire  for  the  complete  cure  of 
his  son,  and  all  his  thought  was.  Help  us,  if  thou 
canst  do  any  thing. 

Calm  as  the  moon  that  rises  to  move  upon  the  tide 
and  control  them,  Jesus  looked  into  the  face  of  that 
father  and  said,  "  If  thou  canst  believe,  all  things  are 
possible  to  him  that  believeth." 

Instantly  the  father  cried  out,  and  with  gushing 
tears,  too,  "  Lord,  I  believe !  help  thou  mine  unbelief!" 


124  UNBELIEF    HELPED. 

Then,  while  the  people  were  running  to  the  spot 
where  the  lad  lay,  Jesus  healed  him  —  he  lay  still  as 
if  dead  —  exhausted,  so  that  many  said,  "  He  is 
dead!"  But  Jesus  stepped  forward  —  took  the  boy 
by  the  hand  and  lifted  him  up,  and  he  arose. 

When  the  disciples  were  in  private  with  the  Saviour, 
they  asked  him,  why  they  could  not  heal  this  case  ? 
His  answer  was  significant,  "  This  kind  can  come 
forth  by  nothing,  but  by  prayer  and  fasting." 

By  this,  I  recognize  our  Master  as  making  faith  de- 
pendent on  severe  spiritual  exercise  for  its  noblest 
energy  and  most  triumphant  power. 

Here,  then,  we  have  an  important  matter  connected 
with  Belief.  It  teaches  most  plainly,  as  the  whole 
tenor  of  the  New  Testament  teaches,  that  faith  is  a 
matter  of  culture  —  a  thing  to  be  nursed  and  tended, 
—  to  be  fed  and  exercised  —  to  be  disciplined  and  fit- 
ted for  the  most  frightful  exigencies  of  life.  "  Lord, 
I  believe  !  help  thou  my  unbelief." 

Christ  compassionates  unbelief —  the  unbelief  that 
tells  its  story  with  tears — that  sees  what  it  would 
have  remedied,  but  has  too  little  hope  that  it  can  be 
realized.  He  did  not  array  his  force  against  the  poor 
father  who  spake  as  though  he  doubted  the  power  of 
Christ,  because  he  saw  how  honest  and  simple  that 
doubt  was.  The  man  had  caught  the  impotency  of 
the  Disciples.  Their  ill-success  had  weakened  his 
hope,  and  he  writhed  with  his  son  who  wallowed, 
foaming  at  the  mouth,  on  the  ground. 

Here,  then,  is  the  great  lesson.  We  must  not 
attempt  to  catch  the  spirit  of  belief  from  other  Chris- 
tians, but  from   self-discipline  under  the  guidance  of 


UNBELIEF    HELPED.  125 

the  Saviour.  Thus  he  can,  and  will,  help  our  unbelief. 
He  says,  "  I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth,  and  Life."  He 
and  His  Religion  are  identified.  The  distinguishing 
glory  of  Christianity  is,  that  it  is  a  Religion  mani- 
fested in  a  Life.  It  has  been  lived.  Christ  is  tlie 
revelation  of  God.  We  see  God  as  we  see  him.  He 
is  as  a  word  which  clearly  expresses  an  invisible 
thought.  He  is  spoken  of,  therefore,  as  such,  and 
there  is  a  sublime  meaning  in  the  Scripture,  "  And 
the  word  was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us,  full  of 
grace  and  truth."  St.  John  in  saying  this,  also  said, 
"  And  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the  only 
begotten  of  the  Father." 

0  there  is  the  grand  help  for  unbelief  to  behold  the 
glory  of  Christ  —  to  see  and  appreciate  the  beauty 
and  power  of  his  life  —  the  matchless  symmetry  of  his 
character  —  the  budding,  blossoming  and  perfection 
of  the  flower  of  his  being.  Hence  the  grand  language 
of  St.  Paul  to  the  Corinthians  :  "  God,  who  command- 
ed the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath  shined  in 
our  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
glory  of  God,  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ." 

There  is  something  remarkable  in  this  passage. 
Paul  had  been  treating  of  the  giving  of  the  law  when 
a  vail  was  on  the  face  of  Moses,  in  mercy  to  the 
people,  who  were  dazzled  by  the  brightness  of  his 
luminous  countenance :  and  in  describing  the  privil- 
eges of  the  Christian,  Paul  spoke  of  Christ's  face,  that 
face  unveiled  —  that  face  unveiled  and  shining,  shin- 
ing not  with  a  corporeal  light,  but  with  the  light  of 
the  knowledge  of  God's  glory. 
11* 


126  UNBELIEF    HELPED. 

This  light  did  not  dazzle  the  eye,  as  in  the  case  of 
Moses  and  the  people,  but  illumined  the  hearts  of  the 
Christians ;  so  that  the  contrasts  here  made  are 
highly  instructive,  to  show  the  relation  of  Christ  to 
us,  as  the  great  help  for  unbelief. 

The  knowledge  of  God  is  glory's  given  in  the  char- 
acter of  Christ.  His  face  is  put  for  his  character. 
In  that  character,  as  light  in  a  mirror,  is  concentrated 
the  highest  and  best  knowledge  of  God ;  from  that 
character,  as  light  from  a  mirror  by  a  lens,  that  know- 
ledge is  transmitted  to  our  hearts  ;  and  that  know- 
ledge thus  shining  in  our  hearts,  lights  up  all  the 
beauty  and  glory  of  immortal  love  and  eternal  life  — 
it  touches  every  affection  and  sympathy,  every  desire 
and  passion,  as  light  touches  the  objects  in  a  room 
into  which  it  is  brought ;  and  we  learn  to  appreciate 
the  moral  grandeur  of  that  declaration  which  says, 
"  Therefore,  being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace 
with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom 
also  we  have  access  by  faith  into  this  grace  wherein 
we  stand,  and  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God. 
And  not  only  so,  but  we  glory  in  tribulations  also  ; 
knowing  that  tribulation  worketh  patience ;  and  pa- 
tience, experience  ;  and  experience,  hope  ;  and  hope 
maketh  not  ashamed,  because  the  love  of  God  is 
shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  which 
is  given  unto  us." — Rom.  v.  1 — 5. 

It  is  not  then  by  the  manner  in  which  Christians 
live,  that  we  are  to  be  helped  in  our  unbelief.  Christ 
lives,  and  to  him  must  we  go.  He  only  hath  the 
power  we  need.     He  only  has  fasted  and  prayed  till 


UNBELIEF   HELPED.  127 

the  "  fulness  "  of  the  Divine  gift  came,  and  he  no 
longer  had  it  "by  measure." 

It  is  indeed  well  to  help  our  faith  —  to  strengthen 
and  cheer  it  by  appreciating  what  Christians  have 
done.  Just  in  that  degree  in  which  they  have  let 
their  light  shine  before  men,  that  men,  by  their  good 
works,  are  led  to  glorify  the  God  of  the  religion  that 
so  works, — just  in  that  degree  the  lives  of  saints  are 
valuable  as  helps  to  faith. 

So  the  Apostle  presents  a  grand  catalogue  of  the 
examples  of  faith  before  the  times  of  Christ,  and 
represents  these  examples  as  presenting  an  array  of 
personages  who  look  down  on  the  Christian  racer  bent 
on  running  the  full  course  of  duty,  "  looking  unto 
Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of  faith." 

To  return,  then,  to  the  text  and  its  connection. 
Beautiful  to  the   eye   of  the   father  was   the   lad 
brought  to  Jesus,  when  the  spasm  was  not  on  him. 

So  is  a  true  faith  in  Christ.  It  is  the  child  of  the 
heart.  It  is  the  image  of  all  that  is  parental  and 
divine  in  the  human  soul.  The  affections  so  naturally 
fasten  upon  it  as  upon  the  child  given  to  the  arms  and 
the  bosom  —  to  the  kiss  and  fondnesses  of  maternal 
and  paternal  love. 

We  so  speak  of  a  favorite  idea  of  an  author,  an 
artist,  a  schemer, —  we  say.  It  is  the  child  of  his  heart. 
It  stands  out,  as  it  were,  to  his  eye  as  a  child  bor'i  to 
him,  in  whom  he  has  garnered  up  great  hopes,  and 
with  whom  is  linked  all  the  happiness  of  life. 

More  justly  may  this  be  regarded  the  Christian's 
faith  in  immortality,  with  the  light  it  sheds  on  present 


128  UNBELIEF    HELPED. 

duty,  joy  and  sorrow  ;  so  did  Socrates  regard  his 
fainter  and  less  beautiful  hope  of  life  beyond  death. 

When  Socrates  held  his  last  conversation  with  his 
scholars,  it  seemed  at  one  time  that  all  the  arguments 
for  the  immortality  of  the  soul  had  been  overthrown, 
and  as  it  was  a  custom  for  the  Greeks  to  cut  off  their 
hair  and  throw  it  into  the  tomb  at  the  time  of  the 
burial  of  a  friend,  Socrates  took  hold  of  the  long, 
drooping  locks  of  one  of  his  disciples,  and  asked  if 
that  pretty  hair  would  not  be  cut  off  on  the  morrow, 
—  the  time  he  should  be  dead.  He  was  answered 
"  Yes  ;"  and  then  he  added,  "  If  you  take  my  advice, 
you  will  not  stay  so  long  !"  and  explained  his  mean- 
ing, that  it  was  more  fit  that  the  death  of  a  great  hope 
be  mourned  than  the  death  of  a  friend. 

But  the  beautiful  faith  of  many  a  heart  does  not  so 
much  die  as  it  may  be  said  to  be  affected  with  spasms. 
It  is  tortured.  Its  harmonies  are  untuned,  and  it  is  a 
mournful  thing.  It  is  as  uncontrollable  as  the  poor 
lad  to  whom  the  Apostles  or  Disciples  could  bring  no 
help,  so  that  the  sorrow  of  that  father  is  but  a  picture 
of  the  troubles  of  him  whose  faith  is  not  healthy, 
strong  and  happy.  There  is  just  enough  of  life  in 
their  faith  for  them  to  say,  ''  I  believe  !"  but  there  is 
weakness  enough  to  make  them  add,  with  tear?,  the 
confession,  ''Help  my  unbelief!" 

To  Christ  must  the  heart  come,  and  the  result  of 
patient  waiting  upon  him  sliall  be,  the  lanquid  pulse 
of  faith  shall  be  quickened  —  the  "  veins  shall  feel 
the  rosy  tide,"  and  as  Christ  lifted  up  the  lad  and  he 
arose  to  tremble  and  to  fall  no  more,  so  shall  belief  be 


UNBELIEF    HELPED.  129 

released  of  all  the  spasms  of  unbelief  and  the  fire  and 
the  flood  be  feared  no  more. 

Take  to  Christ  thy  faith.  Its  weakness  will  not  be 
despised.  Thy  tears  will  be  pearls  in  the  Treasury  of 
Christ.  Bring  to  him  thy  soul  by  adopting  the  simple 
rule,  to  try  by  the  spirit  of  his  life  all  doctrines  and 
theories,  all  creeds  and  articles. 

Test  the  Trinity  by  this  and  it  is  seen  to  be  an  error  ; 
for  the  life  of  Christ  was  the  life  of  a  subordinate, 
humble,  prayerful,  tempted  being. 

Test  Native  Depravity  by  this,  and  it  cannot  be 
received  as  Christ  is  seen  taking  children  in  his  arms 
as  heirs  by  birth  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  The 
great  question  pertaining  to  the  death  and  after  hap- 
piness of  infants  are  all  answered ;  and  there  is 
something  approaching  to  blasphemy  in  the  acts  of 
those  portions  of  the  Church  which  will  not  admit  the 
unbaptized  infant  into  consecrated  ground  for  burial, 
but  must  place  them  apart  and  speak  of  them  as 
"  These  that  in  trembling  hope  are  laid  apart." 

Test  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Saviour's  life  that  doctrine 
of  the  exclusive  Church  that  stamps  no  virtues  as 
good  save  those  which  blossom  within  its  own  special 
boundaries,  and  see  it  refuted  by  Christ's  conduct  to 
the  Gentiles  —  his  picture  of  the  Samaritan  —  his 
readiness  to  approve  goodness  in  every  form,  telling 
his  disciples  it  was  no  reason  for  denying  excellence 
to  one  wlio  used  his  name  with  reverence  because  he 
followed  not  them. 

Test  by  this  standard  the  application  of  the  great 
principle  of  Love,  that  is  so  often  limited  by  the  sys- 


130  UNBELIEF   HELPED. 

terns  of  men,  and  you  find  it  has  a  sweep  of  infinity. 
The  example  of  Christ  pours  inexhaustible  light  on 
the  meaning  and  the  extent  of  the  commands  to  love 
God  and  to  love  our  neighbor.  There  is  no  limit  in 
either ;  for  Christ,  by  the  spirit  of  his  life,  showed 
that  the  character  of  God  as  humanity's  father  is  to 
be  ever  kept  in  view,  both  in  reference  to  the  prodigal 
and  the  mysteries  of  life  ;  and  when  the  lawyer  would 
mystify  the  command  to  love  our  neighbor  by  asking, 
"  Who  is  my  neighbor  ?"  Christ  answered  by  a  par- 
able that  did  but  harmonize  with  the  spirit  of  his  own 
life,  and  which  such  a  spirit  could  alone  have 
originated. 

And  so  with  the  monstrous  doctrine  of  Endless 
Punishment :  test  it  by  the  spirit  of  the  life  of  Jesus 
and  it  is  seen  to  be  false.  The  assertion  of  that  idea 
and  the  prayer  of  Christ  on  the  Cross,  are  as  incom- 
patible as  hatred  and  love.  The  first  is  like  the  vul- 
ture pouncing  on  the  flesh  of  Saul's  seven  sons  ;  and 
the  other  like  Rizpah  scaring  them  away.  In  her 
spirit  of  undying  love  we  see  the  image  of  the  love  of 
God,  and  Christ  is  the  grand  help  to  cast  away 
unbelief. 


SERMON    XIY 


PERSONATING  JESUS. 
But  put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  —  Rom.  xiii.  14. 

Literature  abounds  with  references  to  the  Stage. 
Poetry  has  much  animation  and  beauty  which  it  owes 
to  the  Theatre ;  and  there  are  no  metaphors  more 
beautiful  employed  even  by  divines  than  those  which 
send  the  imagination  where  the  Actor  treads,  and  the 
scene  shifts,  and  the  story  of  years  is  told  in  the  few 
acts  of  the  changing  drama. 

Man  loves  mimic  life  —  the  reproduction  of  the 
Past ;  and  the  theatre  addresses  the  eye  and  ear  as 
the  writer  addresses  the  imagination.  Separated  from 
its  unessential  adjuncts,  a  tremendous  power  might 
be  exerted  by  the  Drama  to  give  emphasis  to  Paul's 
allusion  to  it  where  he  says,  "  The  fashion  of  this 
world  passeth  away,"  intimating  the  need  of  stretch- 
ing our  grasp  for  something  permanent  and  fitting  an 
immortal  nature. 

In  Paul's  time,  the  theatre  was  the  grand  entertain- 


132  PERSONATING  JESUS. 

me  lit.  It  was  the  great  arena  of  literary  ambition. 
The  most  famous  orators  at  the  Bar  and  in  the  Sen- 
ate sought  the  aid  of  the  Actor ;  and  the  Poet's 
grandest  inspiration  found  there  a  fit  impersonation. 

But  it  is  to  a  single  custom  of  the  theatre  that 
Paul,  in  the  text,  alludes,  and  that  is,  the  changing 
dresses,  whereby  the  character  personated  is  present- 
ed in  appropriate  costume. 

Dress  strangely  changes  the  person,  and  strangely 
affects  the  character  of  the  Man.  He  is,  in  some  de- 
gree, as  he  may  clothe  himself:  and  how  clothes  rep- 
resent the  character  is  easily  seen  in  slip-shod  actions 
where  there  is  the  slip-shod  dress,  and  politeness  of 
manner  where  there  is  elegance  of  clothes. 

This  serves  to  open  in  some  degree  the  meaning  of 
the  Apostle's  exhortation :  "  But  put  ye  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  And  it  illustrates  also  that  reference 
made  to  the  personation  of  the  theatre  in  Col.  iii.  9, 
10  ;  and  also  in  Eph.  iv.  22 — 24,  where  the  Apostle 
speaks  of  putting  off  the  old  man,  and  putting  on  the 
new  man,  or  throwing  aside  one  character  for  anoth- 
er by  a  change  in  the  spirit  of  the  mind,  showing  that 
the  grand  change  demanded  by  the  Gospel  is  not  a 
change  in  Nature,  but  of  Action,  Development  and 
Restraint,  as  he  who  walks  the  stage  a  Beggar  may 
tread  with  the  royal  step  and  seem  "  every  inch  a 
king,"  by  a  change  of  personation  demanded  of 
liim. 

But  costume  is  not  every  thing.  Dress  does  not 
make  the  man, 

"  For  'tis  the  mind  that  makes  the  body  rich," 


PERSONATING   JESUS.  138 

and  pj'ofessions  of  virtue,  holiness,  religion,  are  but 
dress  —  they  suggest  a  character  to  be  sustained,  a 
part  to  be  performed,  an  end  to  be  reached  in  carrying 
out  the  design  of  Him  who  called  us  to  the  theatre  of 
God,  the  drama  of  Love,  "  to  virtue  and  to  glory." 

Here,  then,  is  the  important  point  of  the  text :  The 
impersonation  of  Christ ;  or  the  Christian  an  Actor. 

"  All  the  world,"  we  are  told  by  the  great  Drama- 
tist, "  is  a  stage,  and  all  the  men  and  women  —  mere- 
ly players.     Every  man  in  his  time  plays  many  parts." 

This  is  true.  But  there  is  one  part  man  should  be 
most  studious  to  perform,  and  that  is,  To  be  a  Chris- 
tian —  a  true  Impersonation  of  Jesus. 

Every  true  Actor  has  one  favorite  part.  He  will 
generally  play  that  on  his  ''Benefit  Night."  He  thinks 
it  best  suited  to  him ;  if  he  have  genius,  that  part 
will  fit  him  as  a  garment,  and  his  effort  is  so  com- 
pletely to  put  it  on  as  to  be  lost  in  it  —  to  be  the 
character  he  personates  for  the  time  being,  as  the  in- 
sane man  is  the  king  or  beggar  he  declares  himself  to 
be. 

It  is  grand  to  see  the  enthusiasm  of  genius  in  the 
enacting  of  some  favorite  part  —  where  melancholy 
Hamlet ;  ambitious,  murderous,  conscience-haunted 
Macbeth;  sorrow-stricken  and  kingly  Lear  ;  or  gloomy 
Richard,  pass  before  the  eye  as  in  reality. 

You  see  there  acted  poetry.  The  great  thoughts 
of  the  Dramatist  are  incarnated  for  the  hour.  The 
performer  throws  himself,  as  it  were,  into  the  very 
experience  of  the  character  he  has  chosen,  as  the  poet, 
thrills  with  the  joy  or  sorrow,  the  horror  or  remorse  of 
12 


134  PERSONATING  JESUS. 

the  character  he  reproduces  in  his  poem ;  as  Shak- 
speare  rioted  with  Falstaff  and  wept  with  Cordelia 
and  Juhct. 

The  vast  distinction  between  Talent  and  Genius  is 
seen  in  the  transcendent  power  of  the  latter  to  be 
what  it  represents — to  make  the  allusion  complete, 
so  that  the  fire  of  the  soul  is  contagious,  and  we  feel  the 
cold  storm  that  beats  around  the  defenceless  head  of 
King  Lear,  yet  not  so  cold  as  his  daughter's  neglect 
that  prompts  the  prayer  from  the  old  father's  lips  that 
they  "  may  know  how  much  sharper  than  a  serpent's 
tooth  it  is  to  have  a  thankless  child  !  " 

It  is  in  this  sense  that  we  are  to  put  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  "  Eat  his  flesh  and  drink  his  blood"  — 
high  wrought  metaphors  for  entering  into  his  most 
vital  experience  and  living  as  he  lived,  by  the  spirit  of 
filial  loyalty  to  God,  as  he  lived  the  life  of  God  and 
said,  "  I  and  the  Father  are  one." 

We  are  to  accept  him  as  a  character  in  which  we 
are  to  transform  ourselves  —  to  feel  as  he  felt,  to 
tliink  as  he  thought,  to  resolve  as  he  resolved,  to  en- 
dure as  he  endured,  and  to  infuse  into  our  whole 
being  the  spirit  tliat  moulded  his  beautiful  character. 

There  is  nothing  unnatural  here.  The  exhortation 
of  the  text  is  reasonable ;  for  there  is  no  influence 
grander  than  the  power  of  an  assumed  character. 

We  see  this  everywhere  in  life.  Every  successful 
man  is  the  result  of  this  power.  He  set  l^efore  him- 
self what  lie  would  be  —  he  lived  it — he  wrought  for 
it ;  and  whatever  his  choice  was,  wliether  to  be  a  Mer- 
chant or  Minister,  Mechanic  or  Artist,  Poet  or  Fainter, 


PERSONATING   JESUS.  135 

the  character  he  loved  he  assumed  —  lie  did  his  best 
to  be  it  —  lie  magnified  his  office  —  he  put  on  the 
character  till  he  felt  the  soul  beating  in  accordance 
with  the  dress. 

Whatever  helps  to  the  feeling  of  any  character 
which  is  to  be  personated  or  acquired,  aids  the  per- 
fection of  the  efforts  of  the  man.  We  see  this  in  the 
Fireman's  dress,  and  the  various  symbols  that  belong 
to  that  character's  employments.  We  see  this  in  the 
costume  of  the  Soldier  —  the  gay  coat,  the  cap,  with 
its  graceful  plume,  the  epaulet  and  sword,  the  glitter- 
ing gun,  the  adornments  that  speak'of  War,  Bravery 
and  Victory. 

The  man  seems  a  different  being  having  put  on  this 
or  that  character  ;  and  he  is  following  an  ideal  as  tru- 
ly as  the  student  at  his  books,  the  painter  at  his  easel, 
the  sculptor  at  his  marble,  or  the  poet  with  his  pen, 
"  with  eye  in  fine  frenzy  rolling." 

Here  is  the  great  justification  for  a  man's  professing 
to  be  a  Christian,  though  he  is  not,  in  character  or  life, 
in  all  things,  a  Christian. 

There  is  no  hypocrisy  in  this  act.  He  is  putting  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  he  is  personating  a  character 
in  order  to  catch  the  spirit  and  genius  of  that  char- 
acter ;  he  is  a  Christian  Actor  in  the  great  drama  of 
the  Redemption,  and  a  voice  says  :  "  Honor  and 
shame  from  no  condition  rise;  act  well  your  part; 
there  all  the  honor  lies."     The  aim  makes  the  Man. 

The  expression, "  to  put  on,"  in  the  sense  of  the  text, 
did  not  originate  with  Paul.  It  was  common  among 
Greek  writers.     We  read  of  those  who  were  thus  and 


136  PEESONATING    JESUS. 

SO,  "  haying  put  on,  or  clothed  themselves  with,  Tar- 
qiiin."  So  the  disciples  of  Pythagoras  are  represent- 
ed as  having  put  him  on  ;  and  so  too  Plato  is  said  to 
have  been  put  on,  as  also  his  master,  Socrates,  by 
those  who  received  them  as  their  instructors  m  phi- 
losophy. So  in  the  text,  Jesus  is  to  be  put  on  in  like 
manner,  as  a  guide  and  example  opposite  to  the  char- 
acters referred  to  in  the  immediate  context. 

The  Apostle  did  not  call,  in  the  text,  to  the  putting 
on  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  though  it  was  some- 
thing to  be  taken  as  clothes  are  taken.  He  referred 
to  no  mystical  ideas  concerning  the  vicariousness  of 
Christ's  sufferings  or  righteousness  ;  but  his  idea  was 
precisely  what  the  idea  of  a  great  lover  of  the  Drama 
is  when  he  calls  on  the  Actor  to  put  on  more  com- 
pletely the  character  he  is  to  personate.  In  other 
words,  seek  a  right  conception  of  the  character  to  be 
sustained ;  study  it ;  enter  into  it  more  and  more ; 
become  more  and  more  possessed  of  its  spirit ;  seek 
every  means  that  will  help  to  the  possession  of  the 
passions  and  emotions  that  sway  such  a  personage, 
and  that  are  to  be  expressed  in  the  representation. 

The  theatre-goer  follows  up  the  representation  of 
the  same  character  a  score  of  times  by  the  same  actor, 
expecting  to  see  that  character  put  on  more  and 
more  —  new  points  made  —  new  beauties  brought 
out,  the  freshness  of  original  thought  exhibited  —  so 
that  the  Handet,  or  Lear,  or  Richard  of  the  same  ac- 
tor is  a  far  more  perfect  thing  at  one  time  than  at 
another,  if  he  have  the  genius  of  his  Art. 

All  that  the  Man  professes  to  do,  is  to  have  the 


PERSONATING   JESUS.  137 

Character  in  view,  and  to  labor  to  personate  it.  So 
when  I  say  I  am  a  Christian,  I  do  not  take  that  name 
in  vain  —  I  do  not  mean  that  I  am  like  Christ.  I 
only  say  I  pnt  him  on  —  1  feel  there  is  no  glory 
attainable  by  man  like  the  glory  of  acting  well  that 
part.  What  I  have  assumed  to  be,  helps  me  to  be  the 
Character  desired  ;  and  it  may  be  that  some  little 
stroke  in  every  day's  performance  may  aid  the  reali- 
zation of  the  sublime  ideal. 

"  Practice  makes  perfect,"  is  the  familiar  proverb  ; 
and  only  by  practice  can  any  worthy  end  in  the  way 
of  Character  be  achieved . 

I  meet  frequently  in  the  city  of  my  residence  an 
Actor  I  used  to  see  on  the  Stage  in  my  boyhood,  who 
is  re  garded  as  one  of  the  most  successful  in  putting 
on  the  line  of  characters  he  personates.  I  remember 
when  he  began  and  how  he  was  laughed  at ;  but  he 
determined  to  put  on  the  characters  with  which,  I  am 
told,  he  now  finely  clothes  himself,  and  he  assumed 
to  be  certain  personations  till  he  acted  his  part  well. 

A  woman  died  in  France,  not  many  years  ago,  of 
premature  old  age,  in  consequence  of  the  zeal  and 
genius  with  which  she  put  on  the  Character  of  the  old 
and  decrepit.  The  effort  of  the  mind  went  into  the 
very  marrow  of  the  bone,  and  she  became  what  she 
assumed  to  be. 

We  cannot  be  Jesus  —  we  can  only  put  him  on — 
only  aim  for  the  spirit  of  his  life  and  infuse  it  into 
others. 

Here  is  acting,  on  a  real  and  not  a  mimic  stage. 

Here  is  a  personation  worthy  of  our  highest  effort. 
12* 


138  PERSONATING   JESUS. 

Success  here  makes  us  to  reproduce  Jesus,  and  to 
be  owned  by  Him. 

While  Jesus  lived  on  earth  certain  Greeks  came 
to  his  disciple  Philip  and  said,  "  Sir,  we  would  see 
Jesus."  They  were  led  to  him.  We  cannot  so 
answer  a  request.  Let  the  Master  be  seen  in  his 
servants.     "  Put  ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


SERMON    XV 


THE  SILENCE   OF  JESUS. 
And   he  answered  him  to  never  a   word  ;    insomuch   that   the 

GOVERNOR    MARVELLED    GREATLY.— Matt.  XXvii.   14. 

The  theme  suggested  to  me  by  this  text  is  the 
silence  of  Jesus. 

His  silence  was  as  marvellous  as  his  speech ;  and 
there  is  no  method  of  studying  character  that  affords 
better  results  than  to  notice  the  restraining  of  speech 
—  the  eloquence  of  silence. 

Much  is  said,  and  well  said,  on  the  teaching  of 
Jesus  —  his  manner  and  method  as  a  speaker;  how 
independent  he  was  of  times  and  circumstances ;  and 
how,  in  his  peasant's  garb,  and  by  the  hill-side  or  the 
river-shore,  he  forced  the  confession  from  his  hearers, 
"Never  man  spake  like  this  man  !"  "He  taught  as 
one  having  authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes,"  and 
the  people  marvelled  at  his  teaching  —  at  what  he 
said,  and  how  he  said  it.  His  eloquence  was  from  a 
divine  impulse,  from  a  heart  that  spake  its  utmost 
conviction,  and  rolled  out  the  burden  of  love  for  the 
world. 


140  THE  SILENCE   OF  JESUS. 

He  was  troubled  by  no  interruption.  He  was 
always  ready  to  bear  questionings,  and  no  teacher 
was  ever  so  patient  to  repeat  himself  so  long  as  repe- 
tition promised  anything. 

But  there  was  the  limit.  When  speech  was  useless 
he  was  silent.  When  God  could  speak  best  with  his 
"still  small  voice,"  he  asked  for  no  rumbling  earth- 
quake, no  surging  and  roaring  wind,  no  flashing  and 
terrific  fire. 

I  have  read  and  heard  many  sermons  and  essays  on 
the  speech  of  Jesus,  but  not  one  on  his  silence.  And 
yet,  as  I  have  said,  his  silence  was  as  marvellous  as 
his  speech.  It  gives  us  fine  revelations  of  his  charac- 
ter. It  presents  us  valuable  lessons  for  social  and 
domestic  life.  It  furnishes  an  example  we  ought  not 
to  forget ;  for  the  prophet  Amos  has  this  reference  to 
an  evil  tirne  —  "Therefore  the  prudent  shall  keep 
silence  in  that  time."  The  prudence  of  Jesus  is  seen 
in  his  keeping  silence  ;  and  never  more  so  than  where 
he  answered  no  more  questions,  or  thrusts,  and  the 
governor  marvelled  greatly. 

Tlie  text  refers  to  the  interview  between  Jesus  and 
Pilate,  after  Pilate  had  shown  that  he  was  not  gov- 
erned by  principle  in  any  form.  He  vascillated  be- 
tween what  he  knew  was  justice  to  the  accu.sed  and 
the  favor  he  desired  to  obtain  from  the  Jews. 

Jesus  had  been  submitted  to  insult  upon  insult. 
The  Jews  had  no  power  of  life  and  death  over  any 
criminal,  and  knowing  that  any  cliarge  involving 
merely  matters  of  religion  would  avail  nothing  before 
a  Gentile  magistrate,  they  changed  their  ground  and 


THE   SILE>XE   OF   JESUS.  141 

accused  Jesus  of  a  political  offence  against  the  au- 
thority of  Rome,  asserting  a  direct  and  unequivocal 
falsehood.  ''We  found  this  fellow/'  said  they  to 
Pilate,  '"  perverting  the  nation,  and  forbidding  to  pay 
tribute  unto  Caesar,  saying  that  he  himself  is  Christ  a 
king."  They  knew  this  was  a  falsehood,  for  he  had 
answered  them  on  a  former  occasion,  when  they 
attempted  to  entrap  him,  "Render  unto  Caesar  the 
things  that  are  Ci^sar's."  And  he,  himself,  had  paid 
tribute. 

When  the  accusation  was  made,  Pilate  came  in  and 
asked  Jesus  the  question,  *■"  Ai-t  thou  the  king  of  the 
Jews  ?"  Jesus  answered  that  he  was  a  kmg.  but  ex- 
plains and  limits  his  meaning  by  stating  that  his  king- 
dom is  spiritual,  his  throne  is  the  truth. 

Pilate  seemed  satisiied  at  this.  He  goes  out  and 
tells  the  Jews  that  Jesus  is  an  innocent  man.  He 
finds  no  fault  with  him.  and  to  the  last  he  maintains 
the  same  idea,  but  renders  it  a  nuUity  by  his  conduct 
in  yielding  to  the  people. 

He  tried  to  shift  the  responsibility  by  sending  Jesus 
to  Herod,  and  became  reconciled  to  Herod  for  the 
purpose,  and  sent  Jesus  to  him  as  a  Gahlean,  and 
therefore  coming  under  the  jurisdiction  of  Herod. 
Herod  sent  him  back  to  Pilate,  and  Judas  sees  that 
his  Master  has  no  design  to  deUver  himself  by  mira- 
cle, and  he  goes  to  confession,  restitution  and  death. 

Jesus  stands  again  before  Pilate.  The  clamor  is 
loud  and  strong  against  him  from  the  chief  priests 
and  elders,  and  to  their  accusations  he  answers  noth- 
ing.    Pilate  speaks  to  him  —  ''Hearest  thou  not  how 


142  THE  SILENCE    OF    JESUS. 

many  things  they  witness  against  thee  ?  And  he  an- 
swered him  to  never  a  word  ;"  i.  e.  he  spake  nothing ; 
he  uttered  not  one  word.  He  stood  Hke  a  lamb  dumb 
before  his  slaughterers,  and  at  this  silence  the  gover- 
nor marvelled  greatly. 

Pilate  marvelled  because  he  knew  Jesus  could 
speak.  He  knew  the  power  with  which  he  could 
plead  the  cause  of  truth.  He  knew  the  influence  he 
had  exerted  by  his  eloquence.  He  knew  these  accu- 
sations came  because  of  the  power  which  the  wonder- 
ful teacher  had  exerted  by  his  speech.  He  did  not 
keep  dumb  because  he  had  no  words,  nor  because  he 
was  unused  to  discussion ;  nor  because  he  could  not 
bear  the  presence  of  these  ecclesiastical  dignitaries. 
Discussion  and  they  were  familiar  to  him  ;  but  he  had 
to  practice  the  instructions  he  had  given  to  his  disci- 
ples. He  had  enjoined  on  them  silence,  vvhen  speech 
was  vain.  He  had  forbidden  them  to  throw  pearls 
where  they  would  find  no  gold  setting ;  and  wherfe 
there  was  only  talk  and  no  heart,  he  bade  them  leave 
the  place  and  go  elsewhere. 

He  had  not  only  taught  this,  but  he  had  practiced 
it.  At  Nazareth  they  marvelled  at  his  teachings  and 
his  wisdom,  but  they  brought  up  his  humble  origin 
against  liim,  and  he  wasted  there  no  more  words. 

Many  such  instances  you  will  find  which  illustrate, 
that  so  soon  as  he  discovered  that  the  disposition  of 
the  people  was  wrong,  he  retired,  and  in  silence  found 
confidence  and  strength. 

How  eloquent  was  the  silence  that  followed  his 
words  —  ''Let  him  that  is  without  sin  among  you  cast 


THE   SILENCE    OF  JESUS.  143 

the  first  stone  at  her."  He  stooped  and  wrote  as  it 
were  on  the  ground.  One  by  one,  slinkmg  behind 
the  pillars  of  the  temple,  the  accusing  throng  went 
out,  "being  convicted  of  their  own  consciences." 
He  left,  that  thought  to  burn  its  own  way  to  the 
seared  conscience,  to  arouse  sensibility ;  and  where 
most  teachers  would  have  kept  on  talking,  he  kept 
silence,  and  conscience  rose  in  the  soul  with  that  sol- 
emn and  awful  grandeur  with  which  the  full  moon 
rises  from  the  sea. 

So  also  when  the  Jews  had  accused  him  of  break- 
ing the  Sabbath,  because  he  had  performed  works  of 
healing  on  that  day.     He  was  in  a  synagogue,  and 
the  day  was  the  Sabbath.     There  was  a  man  present 
who  had  a  withered  hand,  and  he  was  bidden  to  stand 
forth  in  the  sight  of  all  those  who  were  watching  to 
see  if  Jesus  would  heal  that  day  any  one.     Jesus 
asked  them,  "Is  it  lawful  to  do  good  on  the  Sabbath 
day,  or  to  do  evil  ?"  and  they  held  their  peace.     That 
silence  was  ominous.     It  was  a  revelation  of  disposi- 
tion and  character  ;  and  never  w^as  Jesus  so  moved  as 
at  that  time.     He  looked  round  about  on  all  the  per- 
sons in  the  synagogue.     There  they  were  in  their 
seats  of  power,  ranging  from  the  most  distinguished 
to  the  humblest.     Not  a  soul  of  them  had  pity  for 
the  man  with  a  withered  hand,  because  they  were 
opposed  to  Jesus  ;  and  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
the  history  of  the  man  was  pitiful.     An  humble  peas- 
ant, with  that  hand  withered,  that,  if  made  whole, 
would  enable  him  to  minister  to  his  own  needs  and 
those  of  others.     All  was  silence.     The  very  breath- 


144  THE   SILENCE    OF   JESUS. 

ing  of  the  people  seemed  suspended,  and  among  all 
those  godly  people,  so  anxious  for  the  honor  of  reli- 
gion, there  was  not  one  to  say,  "It  is  right  to  do  good 
on  any  day." 

All  was  silence,  and  Jesus,  in  anger,  looked  round 
on  all.  His  anger  was  just.  It  showed  the  energy 
of  his  religious  feelings  against  this  foul  mockery  of 
religion,  and  this  pretended  piety.  His  anger  was 
right,  and  showed  him  human ;  yes,  and  it  showed 
him  divine :  divine  in  spirit,  for  our  irrascible  emo- 
tions and  feelings  are  exponents  of  the  moral  sense 
and  stern  duty.  His  anger  was  right,  because  its 
quality  is  indicated  in  the  testimony  that  it  sprung 
from  his  "being  grieved  for  the  hardness  of  their 
hearts,"  and  he  broke  the  silence  with  no  argument 
for  the  Jews,  but  with  the  command  to  the  poor  ob- 
served of  all  observers,  "  Stretch  forth  thine  hand !" 
and  it  was  restored  whole  as  the  other. 

There  was  no  use  of  speech  with  those  enemies, 
and  the  silence  of  Jesus  was  justified  by  the  fact  that 
followed,  for  these  Pharisees  who  could  not  have  the 
Sabbath  violated  by  an  act  of  mercy,  went  forth  and 
straightway  took  counsel  with  the  Herodians  to  de- 
stroy Jesus  ! 

The  silence  of  Jesus  was  therefore  perfectly  in  char- 
acter when  he  answered  his  accusers  and  Pilate  "to 
never  a  word."  In  silence  where  speech  was  vain, 
he  could  nourish  the  moral  forces  of  the  soul.  "In 
quietness  and  in  confidence  shall  be  your  strength," 
was  to  him,  as  to  us,  a  prophetic  word ;  and  there  in 
Pilate's  hall,  accused  and  scorned,  he  who  could  wake 


THE   SILENCE  OF    JESUS.  145 

the  dead  and  still  tlie  sea,  who  could  blast  the  unpro- 
ductive fig-tree  whose  life  was  expressed  only  in 
leaves,  and  who  could  open  the  deaf  ear  and  bid  the 
dumb  to  speak  —  he  in  the  hour  of  mortal  peril  was 
silent.  There  he  stood,  still  as  the  stars  dropping 
their  crystal  light.  Still  as  the  grass  springs  and  the 
blossoms  unfold.  Still  as  the  subtlest  forces  of  nature 
speed  on  their  way.  Still  as  the  footsteps  of  God, 
when  he  visits  specially  the  human  soul.  Still  as  the 
spirit  goes  to  the  resurrection. 

Pilate  would  arouse  him  from  this  silence,  and  he 
said  to  him,  "  Speakest  thou  not  unto  me  ?  Knowest 
thou  not  that  I  have  power  to  crucify  thee,  and  have 
power  to  release  thee  ?" 

Then  it  was  time  to  speak,  and  Jesus  replied, 
"Thou  couldst  have  no  power  at  all  against  me,  ex- 
cept it  were  given  thee  from  above  ;  therefore  he  that 
delivered  me  unto  thee  hath  the  greater  sin." 

There  was  something  in  that  answer  that  made 
Pilate  eager  to  release  Jesus,  but  he  was  defeated  by 
the  appeal  of  the  people  — ''  If  thou  let  this  man  go, 
thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend !"  And  then  Jesus  was 
exposed  in  mock  apparel  to  the  populace,  and  Pilate 
said,  "Behold  the  man!"  Jesus  was  silent.  Why 
should  he  speak  as  though  reasoning  ruled  the  world, 
when  passion  is  too  often  the  master  of  thrones  and 
authority  ?  "Why  should  he  speak,  when  he  had  fore- 
told the  issue  that  had  begun,  and  which  was  unfold- 
ing every  hour  ?  He  kept  silence.  He  was  great  in 
doing  so.  Speech  under  the  circumstances  would  be 
a  luxury,  could  it  be  indulged  innocently ;  but  the 
13 


146  THE   SILENCE    OF    JESUS. 

nobility  of  Jesus  was  seen  in  that  unbroken  silence 
which  he  preserved  while  Pilate  washed  his  hands  as 
symbolical  that  he  was  free  from  guilt  in  yielding  a 
just  parson  to  be  crucified  by  popular  passion  ;  while 
he  saw  a  notable  robber  given  up  to  freedom  in  his 
place ;  while  he  was  scourged  at  tlie  pillar ;  mocked 
within  the  fortress  by  the  soldiers ;  and  insulted  in 
various  ways  till  he  was  given  to  the  death  by  cruci- 
fixion. They  had  put  a  crown  of  thorns  on  his  head; 
they  had  put  on  a  mock  robe  of  royalty ;  they  had 
placed  a  reed  as  a  sceptre  in  his  right  hand ;  and 
then  they  had  bowed  the  knee,  crying,  "  Hail,  king  of 
the  Jews !"  He  kept  silence ;  and  then  they  spat 
upon  him,  struck  him  on  the  head  with  the  reed  they 
had  used  as  a  sceptre,  and  tore  the  robe  off  with 
violence. 

He  kept  silence.  There  was  no  dignity  in  speak- 
ing. Speech  was  vain.  It  would  only  have  added 
new  material  for  insult ;  and  not  till  some  good  was 
to  be  done  was  he  to  speak. 

And  what  a  revelation  was  that  when  he  did  speak  ! 
He  was  bearing,  on  his  lacerated  and  inflamed  back, 
the  cross  on  which  he  was  to  be  hung,  and  as  he  was 
too  weak  to  bear  it,  and  might  die  ere  he  reached  the 
spot  of  execution,  the  load  was  taken  from  him,  and 
laid  on  one  Simon,  a  Cyrenean.  Jesus  was  now  re- 
lieved, and  he  heard  the  rush  of  the  multitude,  and 
the  voices  of  women  bewailing  his  fate. 

It  was  the  first  voice  of  pity  since  Pilate's  wife  told 
her  dream  and  implored  her  husband  to  have  nothing 
to  do  with  Jesus ;  and  now  that  mournful  lament, 


THE   SILENCE    OF    JESUS.  147 

that  cry  of  bewailing  as  for  the  dead,  came  from 
woman's  voice  to  his  ear,  and  he  paused  a  moment  on 
the  rising  ground,  and  turned  his  face  to  the  lament- 
ing tlrong.  All  haggard  was  that  face  of  Jesus. 
The  pure  was  going  to  the  execution  with  two  crimi- 
nals. The  miracle-worker  would  use  none  of  his 
wealth  of  power  to  buy  his  own  safety.  He  was  sub- 
missively in  the  hands  of  God,  as  well  as  in  the 
power  of  the  people,  and  towards  those  mournful, 
pityhig  women,  he  gazed  and  said : — 

"  Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for  me,  but 
weep  for  yourselves  and  your  children.  For  behold, 
the  days  are  coming,  in  the  which  they  shall  say, 
Blessed  are  the  childless !  Then  shall  they  begin  to 
say  to  the  mountains,  Fall  on  us ;  and  to  the  hills, 
Cover  us.  For  if  they  do  these  things  in  a  green 
tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry  ?" 

He  spake  to  turn  the  minds  of  those  women  from 
himself  to  their  own  duties,  and  the  great  lesson  of 
the  future  ;  of  that  impending  judgment  which  should 
tell  of  the  iniquity  of  that  people  as  full,  who  that 
day  were  to  crucify  him. 

And  that  day  he  made  no  addresses  ;  nothing  came 
from  his  lips  but  brief  sentences  —  a  prayer  for  his 
murderers,  as  he  was  lifted  on  the  Cross  ;  his  word  to 
the  penitent  thief ;  his  regard  to  his  mother,  and  his 
commendation  of  her  to  John  ;  then  the  exclamation 
of  overwhelming  agony,  thus  resolved  into  "I  thirst," 
and  the  triumph  of  returning  consciousness,  "  It  is 
finished  !"  ending  with  the  exclamation  of  filial  piety, 
"Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit." 


148  THE   SILENCE    OF    JESUS. 

How  significant  was  the  speech  of  Jesus  after  he 
had  preserved  marvellous  silence !  It  is  in  silence 
that  great  thoughts  grow.  It  was  so  when  David 
said,  "  Thus  was  I  as  a  man  that  heareth  not,  in 
whose  mouth  are  no  reproofs.  For  in  thee,  0  Lord, 
do  I  hope."  Instead  of  holding  discussions,  and 
making  speeches,  he  wrote  psalms.  The  cave  was 
the  sanctuary  of  God ;  and  though  at  times  his 
thoughts  were  as  fire  shut  up  in  his  bones,  he  mused 
and  let  the  fire  burn  till  there  was  some  moral  use  in 
speaking. 

The  example  of  Jesus  in  reference  to  the  time  to 
keep  silent,  must  not  be  lost  upon  us.  His  silence 
was  eloquence.  He  fulfilled  the  prophecy,  "He  was 
oppressed,  and  he  was  afflicted,  yet  he  opened  not  his 
mouth  ;  he  is  brought  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter,  and 
as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  openeth 
not  his  mouth." 

His  example  in  reference  to  speech  is  frequently  set 
forth  —  that  we  should  speak  the  truth,  speak  it 
boldly,  speak  it  for  our  own  soul's  growth,  and  the 
good  of  others ;  speak  it  in  charity  as  well  as  firm- 
ness ;  but  as  important  is  his  example  in  reference  to 
silence,  and  we  need  it  as  much. 

We  sometimes  forget  that  the  world  is  not  wholly 
ruled  by  talk ;  that  it  is  not  possible  at  all  times  to 
find  an  unper verting  hearing  ;  and  we  need  the  disci- 
pline of  silence.  0  holy  silence !  out  of  thy  calm 
depths  what  strength  can  come  !  How  still  doth  the 
Almighty  carry  on  the  stupendous  operations  in  na- 
ture ;  and  where  do  we  feel  his  presence  more  than 


THE   SILENCE    OF   JESUS.  149 

when,  like  Christ,  we  are  alone  on  the  mountain? 
Then  has  the  beauty  and  power  of  some  blessed  truth 
been  made  more  apparent,  and  we  have  felt 

"  Like  some  watcher  of  the  skies, 

When  a  new  planet  swims  into  his  ken ; 

Or  like  stout  Cortez,  when  with  eagle  eyes 
He  stared  at  the  Pacific  —  and  all  his  men 

Looked  at  each  other  with  a  wild  surmise  — 
Silent,  upon  a  peak  in  Darien." 

But  equally  so  do  we  find  the  good  of  silence  in 
social  life.  We  talk  too  much  ;  and  if  on  this  ground 
the  argument  for  silent  worship  was  based,  it  would 
be  the  most  reasonable.  To  Jesus  let  us  go  for  an 
example  in  reference  to  the  times  and  seasons  of 
silence ;  and  then  in  the  difficult  passes  of  life,  we 
shall  say  our  word  calmly,  solemnly,  truthfully,  and 
leave  the  issues  with  God,  not  doubting  the  fidelity  of 
his  providence. 


13^ 


SERMON    XYI. 

BIMORTALITY  NOT  INCREDIBLE. 

Why  should  it  be  thought  a  THIIfO  IlfCREDIBLE  WITH  TOU  THAT  GOD 
SHOULD  KAISE  THE  DEAD? — Acts  XXvi.  8. 

Paul  said  this  to  Agrippa,  when  with  great  pomp 
Agrippa,  accompanied  by  his  sister  Bernice,  and 
FeUx,  had  come  to  the  judgment  seat  at  Cesarea,  to 
hear  the  case  of  the  Apostle,  a  prisoner  of  State.  To 
Felix  the  case  seemed  to  be  one  of  the  Hebrew  Relig- 
ion rather  than  of  State,  and  he  would  rather  have 
sent  him  to  Jerusalem  than  forward  to  Rome,  but 
while  Paul  was  pursuing  his  rights  as  an  individual, 
Providence  was  working  by  him  unto  great  ends. 
The  real  germ  of  Paul's  case  was  a  controversy  of 
"  one  dead  Jesus,  whom  Paul  affirmed  to  be  alive  ;" 
and  standing  now  before  all  the  array  of  royalty,  Paul 
felt  only  one  impulse,  and  that  was,  to  press  home  the 
claims  of  his  cause  as  a  religious  teacher.  As  though 
every  thing  turned  on  one  point  he  asked  Agrippa, 
"  Why  should  it  be  thought  a  thing  incredible  with 
you  that  God  should  raise  the  dead  ?" 

He  did  not  go  at  once  to  the  Resurrection  of  Christ 
to  prove  that,  or  to  ask  why  that  should  be  deemed 


IMMORTALITY  NOT  INCREDIBLE.  151 

incredible;  but  he  went  to  the  question  that  lies 
beyond  —  to  the  dead  as  a  general  term  —  to  the  idea 
of  a  revival  of  life  where  existence  seemed  ended. 
In  other  words,  what  is  there  essentially  incredible  in 
the  idea  of  God's  renewing  a  life  that  once  burned,  a 
flame  of  intellect,  sensibility,  affection  ? 

Here  the  question  is  brought  on  the  ground  of  pure 
reason.  It  is  made  a  question  of  credibility,  which  is 
the  first  question  in  all  reasoning  on  subjects  of  this 
character  ;  and  it  is  always  well  to  keep  before  us  the 
stirring  appeal  which  God  makes  to  mind  where  he 
says,  "  Come,  now,  let  us  reason  together."  Let  us 
look  into  the  resonableness  of  these  things,  and  see 
whether  there  is  any  thing  incredible  about  them. 
"  Is  it  possible  .^"  is  the  first  question,  and  then  comes, 
"  Is  it  probable  ?"  and  next,  "  Is  it  certain  ?"  and 
nothing  has  been  the  cause  of  so  much  scepticism  on 
matters  of  Religion  as  the  idea,  that  the  mind  must 
submit  its  faculties  to  resolution  as  it  does  not,  and  is 
not  called  to  submit  them,  in  other  domains  of  thought 
and  study.  Never  did  a  gallant  ship  unfurl  its  sails 
to  the  free  winds  of  the  ocean  more  bravely  than  the 
Scriptures  offer  themselves  to  the  mind  of  man  ;  and 
as  Jesus  said,  "  Search  the  Scriptures,"  so  Paul  ex- 
horted, "  Prove  all  things,"  and  the  inspired  historian 
records,  no  doubt,  the  estimate  Paul  formed  of  the 
Berean  Jews,  as  "  more  noble  "  than  the  Thessalonian 
Jews,  because  they  heard  with  readiness  of  mind  and 
searched  the  Scriptures  to  test  the  accuracy  of  the 
new  exposition  of  the  Sacred  Orders.  So,  in  the  text, 
the  appeal  is.  What  is  there  incredible  in  the  idea  that 
God  should  raise  the  dead  ? 


152  IMMORTALITY   NOT   INCREDIBLE. 

But  mark  here,  Paul  does  not  say,  Why  is  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul  deemed  an  incredible  thing  ? 
Why  do  you  deem  it  incredible  that  spirit  should  sur- 
vive matter  ?  No  ;  he  went  into  no  questions  of  this 
nature.  He  came  forward  with  no  new  philosophy, 
with  no  subtle  metaphysics,  with  no  weapons  for  argu- 
mentation on  the  qualities  of  matter  and  mind.  He 
did  not  say,  Why  should  it  be  thought  a  thing  incre- 
dible with  you  that  the  dead  should  rise,  should  enter 
upon  another  existence  ;  for  the  great  thought  that 
ruled  all  his  ideas  was  that  of  God  —  his  relations  to 
man  —  what  might  be  expected  under  his  government 
of  the  world. 

This,  as  I  have  before  said,  brings  the  matter  in  a 
different  shape  before  the  judgment  seat  of  mind, 
than  the  Ancients  had  it.  The  question  is  about  God, 
and  not  about  Man  ;  and  we  may  quote  with  solemn 
pertinency  the  language  of  the  Apoetle  where  he  says  : 
"  We  had  the  sentence  of  death  in  ourselves,  that  we 
should  not  trust  in  ourselves,  but  in  God  who  raisetli 
the  dead." — 2  Cor.  i.  9.  And  more  or  less,  every 
thoughtful  mind  is  overpowered  by  this  sentence  of 
death,  and  instead  of  looking  up  the  evidence  of  a 
great  hope  in  ourselves,  we  should  look  to  God.  And 
I  hold  one  of  three  things  to  be  logically  binding  on 
all  sceptical  of  Immortality.  They  must  accept  bald 
Atheism,  or  a  mean  idea  of  the  Diety,  or  the  immor- 
tality of  man.  I  see  no  escape  from  this  when  we 
stand  in  the  field  of  our  common  reason  —  when  we 
look  at  this  matter  on  the  simple  grovmd  of  logic.  I 
can  waive  the  question  of  matter  and  mind  —  spiritu- 


IMMORTALITY  NOT   INCREDIBLE.  153 

alism  and  materialism  —  the  union  of  thought  with 
the  brain  or  its  independency  ;  and  on  a  simpler  basis 
I  am  willing  to  build.  That  basis  is  this :  Any  worthy 
idea  of  God  necessitates  the  immortality  of  man.  It 
is  not  a  thing  incredible  that  God  should  raise  the 
dead. 

And  here  is  one  of  the  great  benefits  which  Chris" 
tianity  has  bestowed  —  by  giving  us  nobler  ideas  of 
God,  it  has  given  us  new  intimations  from  reason  of  our 
immortality.  It  has  made  that  stupendous  hope  more 
credible  on  grounds  of  common  reasoning  ;  and  the 
clear-headed  thinker  can  no  more  escape  this  conclu- 
sion, than  he  can  escape  from  the  conviction  that  the 
more  he  exalts  the  character  of  any  father,  the  more 
he  is  made  conscious  that  that  father's  family  is  con- 
stantly cared  for  and  protected. 

When  I  reason  on  the  credibility  of  an  immortal 
life,  I  find  myself  saying.  It  is  no  more  incredible  that 
I  shall  continue  to  be,  than  that  I  should  exist  at  all. 
I  was  not ;  I  am  ;  I  may  hope  to  be. 

I  say  also  to  myself,  —  The  body  has  wasted  and 
changed  from  time  to  time,  and  still  the  soul,  or  some- 
thing, retains  all  the  life  of  the  two  score  years,  and 
as  I  think  of  the  future,  either  of  earth  or  beyond,  I 
see  no  necessity  for  a  new  soul,  or  this  something  that 
holds  the  year  together  as  a  memory,  or  experience, 
or  identity  ;  the  same  mind  or  spirit,  or  whatever  you 
may  call  the  continuous  man,  will  do  for  all  the  bodies 
that  may  yet  be  given  me  ;  and  I  can  conceive  of  no 
other  want  than  for  an  incorruptible  body. 

I  say,  yet  farther,  I  can  conceive  ot  no  reason  why 


154  IMMORTALITY   NOT   INCREDIBLE. 

mind  should  be  extinguished,  and  thus  become  so 
iinhke  any  thing  else  in  the  universe.  Every  where  a 
Divine  Economy  is  seen.  There  is  no  waste  ;  and 
every  advance  of  science  is  but  an  increase  of  the  evi- 
dences that  nothing  is  lost  —  even  Avlien  multitudes 
are  fed  by  the  great  miracle,  the  fragments  are  care- 
fully gathered  up,  that  nothing  be  lost.  But  to  what 
would  the  punishing  of  mind  contribute  ?  The  dust 
of  Virgil  may  keep  green  the  bays  above  his  grave,  but 
to  what  would  the  annihilation  of  Virgil's  mind  con- 
tribute ?  And  when  I  think  of  the  noble  minds  of 
all  ages  —  when  I  see  them  more  in  the  majesty  of 
more  than  kingly  greatness  —  when,  as  in  some  vast 
area,  they  gather  in  a  glorious  congregation,  I  feel  our 
common  reason  is  insulted  by  the  idea,  that  all  these, 
like  taper  lights,  have  gone  out  into  nothingness  ! 

And  then  I  cry  for  God  ! —  then  I  ask,  is  God  dead  ? 
And  I  to  be  driven  into  the  cold,  icy  waters  of  Athe- 
ism ?  How  can  I  escape  it  but  by  those  thoughts  of 
the  Deity  which  forbid  such  notions  of  the  perishing 
of  mind,  and  which  give  to  mind  a  place  amid  the 
universe  of  imperishable  things. 

Now  I  ask  the  Deist  to  look  at  this.  You  say  you 
are  no  Atheist  —  0  no  !  not  that.  You  say  you 
believe  in  God  —  you  believe  in  the  sovereign  of  the 
universe,  and  that  he  rules  the  nations.  But  you  own 
to  scepticism  on  all  else  ;  all  is  doubt  and  misgiving 
as  to  the  future  beyond  the  close  we  call  death  ;  and 
you  do  not  marvel  that  men  wait  on  the  Rapping  or 
Tipping  or  strange  Moving  Plienomena,  questioning, 
if  happly  some  report  may  come  from  that  land  which 


IMMOKTALITY   NOT    INCREDIBLE.  155 

has  no  returning  pathway.  Well,  brother,  licrc  is  one 
great  step.  Yon  believe  in  God.  You  arc  no  Athe- 
ist, you  are  a  Deist. 

And  now  comes  the  question,  Have  you  a  worthy 
idea  of  God,  or  a  mean  one  ?  Deists  usually  claim 
that  they  have  sublime  views  of  God,  and  without 
any  definite  idea  of  what  the  purpose  of  the  Creation 
is,  or  the  end  to  which  Providence  is  directing  its 
government,  they  will  tell  of  an  experience  like  that 
which  Chalmer  records  when  he  was  really  but  a 
Deist  and  said,  "  I  spent  nearly  a  twelvemonth  in  a 
sort  of  mental  elysium,  and  the  one  idea  which  minis- 
tered to  my  soul  all  its  rapture  was  the  magnificence 
of  the  Godhead,  and  the  universal  subordination  of 
all  things  to  the  one  great  purpose  for  which  he 
evolved  and  was  supporting  creation."  In  other  years 
he  longed  to  be  so  inspired  again,  but  it  could  not  be, 
as  he  had  ideas  of  revelation  which  cramped  the  soul 
in  its  attempts  to  get  at  the  full  glory  of  God.  But 
it  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  Deist  has  had  and  may 
have  lofty  ideas  of  God.  •  God  is  known  by  his  works. 
The  heavens  declare  his  glory,  the  earth  is  full  of  his 
riches,  the  sea  has  its  revelations  of  him,  and  a  thou- 
sand voices,  with  sweetest  echo,  speak  to  the  soul  of 
God ;  and  while  the  Deist  can  know  nothing  of  the 
Covenants  and  cannot  rejoice  with  Abraham,  Isaac 
and  Jacob,  witli  Moses,  David,  Jesus,  yet  we  allow  to 
him  some  of  the  dearest  music  in  the  vast  world  of 
harmony  —  some  of  the  richest  poetry  of  Religion. 
Revelation  does  not  ask  the  denial  of  Deism ;  it  ac- 
cepts it,  and  plants  a  starry  ladder  up  which  the  spirit 


156  IMMORTALITY  NOT   INCREDIBLE. 

may  run  to  heights  in  the  infinite  which  Deism  can 
never  reach. 

Here  then  is  the  issue  :  Accept  the  immortality  for 
man  which  Deism  necessitates,  or  yield  your  Deism. 
Pertinent  here  is  the  word  of  Jesus,  "  Ye  believe  in 
God,  believe  also  in  me."  The  one  necessitates  the 
other  when  the  great  subject  is  seen  in  its  comprehen- 
siveness ;  but  only  of  immortality  would  we  now  pur- 
sue the  thought.  As  good  an  idea  of  God  as  Jesus 
taught  necessitaties  immortality  for  man  ;  and  there 
is  a  natural  and  inevitable  connection  between  the 
first  and  last  of  the  four  articles  in  which  Jefferson 
summoned  up  his  estimate  of  the  doctrines  of  Jesus, 
in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Rush.  In  the  first  article  he  said, 
of  Jesus,  "  He  corrected  the  Deism  of  the  Jews,  con- 
firming them  in  their  belief  of  one  only  God,  and  giv- 
ing them  juster  notions  of  his  attributes  and  govern- 
ment." In  the  concluding  article  he  says:  "He 
taught  emphatically  the  doctrine  of  a  future  state, 
which  was  either  doubted  or  disbelieved  by  the  Jews, 
and  weilded  it  with  efficacy  at  an  important  incentive 
supplementary  to  the  other  motives  to  moral  conduct.'' 

Here  is  the  true  thought  —  an  improvement  of 
Deism  is  an  improvement  of  the  intimations  and  uses 
of  the  idea  of  immortality  ;  and  I  put  the  question  as 
one  of  solemn  moment.  How  can  the  Deist  hold  to  a 
worthy  idea  of  God,  and  not  follow  it  till  it  assures 
him  of,  at  least,  the  credibility  of  immortality  ? 

A  noble  idea  of  God  has  infinite  relations  —  it 
shoots  out  as  when  the  frost  first  touches  the  shim- 
mering lake  and  unnumbered  crystals  are  seen  every 


IMMORTALITY   NOT   INCREDIBLE.  157 

where,  and  the  wondering  mmd  searches  with  delight 
the  manifold  variety  of  beauty  before  it.  It  is  not 
enough  to  say,  "  I  believe  in  God,  I  believe  he  is  good, 
I  will  submit  to  whatever  He  shall  ordain,  I  will  be 
thankful  for  this  life,  and  not  imagine  because  a  friend 
has  given  me  silver,  he  is  bound  therefore  to  give  me 
gold."  This  is  brave  talk,  but  it  will  not  do  for  life's 
sternest  hours.  There  is  something  in  true  reverence 
for  God,  that  longs  for  his  endless  love  —  that  says, 
"  If  loved  once,  why  not  loved  forever  ?"  —  that,  if  it 
must,  lies  dumb  at  his  feet,  but  cannot  keep  down  the 
hope  that  He  will  break  the  silence  and  speak  as  only 
God  can  speak. 

I  fear  it  is  a  doubt  about  God,  after  all,  that  feeds 
the  scepticism  of  immortality.  The  light  of  that 
great  idea,  God  is,  is  not  held  enough  to  send  its  rays 
far  ahead  and  to  shoot  over  the  cold  stream  to  the 
deathless  shore.  We  do  not  feed  it  enough  with  the 
beaten  oil  of  solemn,  midnight  thought ;  we  do  not 
go  away  from  the  world,  and  in  the  awful  solitude, 
where  no  star  shines  and  no  light  glimmers,  look  up 
to  see  what  smile  may  steal  down  through  the  dark- 
ness, as  a  mother's  kiss  to  her  babe  when  no  form  can 
be  seen.  To  think  worthily  of  God  is  to  take  hold  of 
a  chain  along  whose  living  links  we  may  go  from  every 
possible  shipwreck  to  the  eternal  shore. 

Do  you  ask  how  I  reason  on  tliis  point  ?  I  answer  : 
Mind  or  Man  seems  out  of  harmony  with  their  order- 
ly universe  when  he  is  considered  only  as  a  creature 
of  Time ;  God  seems  to  have  failed  in  his  grandest 
14 


158  IMMORTALITY   NOT   INCREDIBLE. 

work  ;  all  is  incomplete,  and  mind,  if  it  goes  into 
nothingness,  is  the  best  thing  extinguished. 

Here  properly  comes  np  the  thonght  of  the  pro- 
gressive faculties  of  man  —  his  capacity  for  endless 
improvement  —  his  ever  enlarging  desire  for  new  dis- 
coveries of  God.  If  a  man  were  to  make  a  machine 
and  to  discover  it  to  possess  a  capacity,  so  to  speak, 
for  endless  improvement,  affording  the  means  of  a 
perpetual  display  of  the  inventor's  genius,  I  cannot 
conceive  how  he  could  ever  have  a  heart  to  destroy  it. 
Phidias  threw  his  mallet  at  his  statue  because  it 
would  not  speak  —  the  cold  marble  put  out  the  fire  of 
genius  that  could  go  no  farther ;  but  when  another 
sculptor  saw  enough  in  his  work  to  proclaim  him  to 
all  ages,  he  cried,  "  Kill  me,  but  not  my  thought !" 
And  however  others  may  think,  I  cannot  see  any 
credibility  in  the  idea,  that  the  Godlike  mind  shall  be 
killed.  0,  it  is  too  bad  a  thought  to  cherish  of  the 
great  Deity,  that  we  are 

"  Thus  to  pass  away ; 
To  live  but  for  a  hope  that  mocks  at  last  — 
To  agonize,  to  strive,  to  watch,  to  fast. 

To  waste  the  li<Tht  of  day, 
Night's  better  beauty,  feeling,  fancy,  thought, 
All  that  we  have  and  are  —  for  this  —  for  nought." 

To  have  a  noble  thought  of  any  person,  we  must 
have  a  noble  thought  of  the  purpose  of  his  life.  The 
aim  makes  the  man  ;  and  this  holds  good  in  our  esti- 
mate of  the  Deity.  He  must  have  a  purpose,  a  great 
and  noble  purpose,  an  infinitely  benevolent  purpose, 


IMMORTALITY  NOT   INCREDIBLE.  159 

in  reference  to  man.  This  is  essential  to  our  idea  of 
his  Deity  ;  and  when  we  ask  what  is  that  purpose  in 
reference  to  man,  we  can  scarcely  fail  to  accept  one 
answer  —  Man's  development,  progress,  perfection. 
Now  if  this  be  the  fact,  then  we  must  look  beyond 
this  life  for  the  sphere  of  man's  activity.  He  is  not 
developed  here.  He  is  a  great  exception  to  the 
growth  of  every  fruit,  the  rounding  of  the  seasons, 
the  cycles  of  the  stars.  And  there  is  not  only  the 
disorder  and  confusion  which  makes  man  an  exception 
to  the  harmony  between  being  and  sphere,  but  we 
liaA^e  also  the  fact,  that  the  development  of  the  soul  is 
ever  progressive  —  one  degree  of  excellence  only 
serving  to  lead  on  to  another,  "  intimating  eternity  to 
man."  0,  it  must  be  that  Man  is  held  in  existence 
by  some  purpose  of  a  mighty  sweep  of  wisdom,  pow- 
er and  goodness  ;  and  all  that  is  dark  in  the  lot  of 
our  common  humanity  shall  be  as  the  cloud  that  has 
its  silver  liniDg  to  be  unfolded  elsewhere. 

Why  should  it  be  thought  a  thing  incredible  with 
you  that  God  should  raise  the  dead  ?  Yes,  why  ?  If 
there  is  a  mistake  here,  it  is  a  mistake  which  breaks 
down  our  best  thought  of  God  —  which  gives  the  lie 
to  the  teachings  of  the  holiest  speculations  of  the 
mind,  that  makes  the  universe  a  mockery,  and  the 
soul  must  yield  all  that  has  come  to  it  when  the  world 
was  least  about  it,  when  passion  was  most  calm,  when 
desire  was  purest,  when  the  affections  were  most  in- 
tense and  divine,  and  must  take  up  with  the  sugges- 
tions of  the  perishable,  when,  the  range  of  thought, 
like  the  vulture,  swept  low  amid  the  corruptible  things 
of  the  earth. 


160  IMMORTALITY   NOT   INCREDIBLE. 

To  Christianity  we  owe  the  best  of  all  our  thoughts 
of  God,  and  to  make  its  ideas  of  the  Deity  the  central 
light  of  the  mind,  is  to  see  all  that  appears  incredible 
in  reference  to  immortality  departing  as  night  before 
the  morn. 

It  was  what  humanity  needed  when  God  raised  Je- 
sus from  the  dead,  and  to  that  fact  we  may  go  as  a 
fountain  that  has  its  springs  amid  the  inexhaustible. 
And  catching  the  great  lessons  of  reason  on  this  top- 
ic and  uniting  them  with  the  facts  and  declarations 
of  Revelation,  Ave  can  see  that  there  is  nothing  in- 
credible that  God  should  raise  the  dead  —  nor  that 
he  should  raise  the  dead  to  circumstances  of  progress 
—  nor  that  he  should  make  the  tendencies  of  those 
circumstances  of  progress  redemptiye  to  all  souls. 
The  best  idea  of  God  necessitates  Universalism  as 
logically  as  it  necessitates  immortality. 

"  So  God  hath  greatly  purposed,  who  woukl  else, 
In  his  dishonored  works,  himself  endure 
Dishonor,  and  be  wronged  without  redress." 

"  The  whole  creation  groaneth  and  travaileth  in 
pain  together  until  now.  And  not  only  they  but  our- 
selves also,  which  have  the  first  fruits  of  the  Spirit, 
even  we  ourselves  groan  within  ourselves,  waiting  for 
the  adoption,  to  wit,  the  redemption  of  our  body." 


SERMON    XYII 


IMMORTALITY  REVEALED. 

Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  the  Kesurkectio^n'  and  the  Life. 

John  xi.  2.5. 

Here  was  something  original,  for  what  man,  how- 
ever great  his  pretensions,  ever  ventured  to  say  this 
of  himself,  in  such  a  place  ? 

And  how,  and  where,  and  why,  was  the  text  uttered  ? 
It  was  uttered  in  a  tone  of  tender  sympathy  as  though 
it  was  meant  for  private  friendship,  rather  than  an 
oracular  saying  to  be  repeated  to  the  ear  of  the  world 
and  echoed  through  the  Ages.  There  is  always  some 
real  vital  element  in  words  spoken  for  the  ear  which 
are  taken  up  and  treasured  in  the  heart  of  the  world, 
and  these  words  spoken  only  to  Martlia,  have  been  to 
millions  of  hearts  more  than  all  else  besides.  Men 
have  traversed  seas  of  speculation  and  ascended  moun- 
tain heights  of  philosophic  thought,  and  have  seen 
less  to  satisfy  them  than  they  have  met  in  these  words 
14* 


162  IMMORTALITY   REVEALED. 

of  Jesus,  stamped  with  liis  authority  and  made  sub- 
lime by  his  deeds. 

And  where  did  Jesus  speak  thus  to  Martha  ?  He 
spoke  these  words,  not  as  Socrates  spake  his  thoughts 
of  the  future,  in  the  seclusion  of  scholastic  retreating 
from  the  world,  but  in  the  burial  place  of  Bethany,  as 
he  moved  toward  the  grave  of  Lazarus.  A  gorgeous 
Oriental  Spring  Avas  around  him.  Rural  Bethany 
wore  the  beauty  of  the  freshness  of  the  year,  but  he 
drew  from  nothing  about  him  lessons  of  comfort  or 
condolence.  Mighty  thoughts  that  Nature  never  could 
suggest  swayed  his  innermost  being,  and  he  felt  the 
stupendous  grandeur  of  that  era  which  was  about  to 
dawn  on  the  world.  The  era  of  speculation,  of  met- 
aphysical research,  was  passing,  and  the  grand  epoch 
of  Demonstration  was  to  come.  Dissolving  dust  was 
to  be  rekneaded  by  the  vital  forces  of  the  returning 
spirit,  and  was  to  reappear  to  intimate  that  He  who 
called  back  the  dead  had  a  right  to  speak  authorita- 
tively of  Life  beyond  the  Tomb. 

TF/z7/did  he  say,  "  I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the. 
Life  ?  "  He  said  it  to  quiet  the  mind  of  Martha,  as 
though  he  had  said,  ''  Quell  curiosity  and  confide  in 
me." 

And  this  is  the  sentiment  of  all  the  Gospel  teach- 
ings of  Immortality.  "  The  world  by  wisdom  knew 
not  God,"  nor  the  Future  ;  and  while  the  text  is  the 
glad  music  of  Easter  week,  and  rings  on  our  ears  as 
we  see  Jesus  rising  from  the  tomb,  it  presents  this 
suggestion,  that  to  Jesus  we  must  look  for  satisfactory 
evidence  of  Inmiortality,  and  to  him  alone. 


IMMORTALITY   REVEALED.  163 

This  is  the  theme  of  the  present  discourse,  —  "Im- 
mortality revealed  only  through  Jesus  Christ." 

Let  the  hearer  mark  the  terms  of  my  proposition: 
I  say  Revealed — Immortality  Revealed  only  through 
Jesus  Christ ;  and  thus  I  clo  not  propose  to  come  into 
collision  with  any  notion  of  how  much  may  be  inti- 
mated of  immortality  to  man  in  any  department  of 
thought. 

Two  things  I  admit : 

First :  It  is  wise  to  fortify  ourselves  with  every  form 
of  suggestion  and  intimation  of  immortality,  for  these 
have  their  place  and  use. 

Second  :  Every  great  truth  has  a  multitude  of  wit- 
nesses of  its  presence  in  the  universe,  and  though 
these  may  not  be  sufficient  to  establish  a  discovery,  or 
to  make  the  great  truth  with  which  they  are  connect- 
ed clear  and  satisfactory,  yet  they  do  keep  the  mind 
on  the  alert,  they  preserve  in  it  a  feeling  of  hospital- 
ity towards  new  evidence,  and  when  the  great  discov- 
ery is  made,  they  fortify  it,  they  show  what  men  have 
valued  in  the  absence  of  the  Demonstration. 

There  are  two  classes  of  minds  who  are,  I  think, 
equally  wrong  in  reference  to  this  matter  of  Immor- 
tality :  The  one  class  declares  that  outside  of  the 
Bible  there  is  nothing  of  hope  ;  and  the  other  class 
declares  that  no  such  demonstration  as  Christ  gave 
was  needed,  as  the  matter  is  so  clearly  settled  by  what 
they  call  consciousness,  intuitions,  reasoning  and  phi- 
losoj)hy. 

Now,  the  better  position  for  both  these  extremes 
would  be,  to  put  themselves  into  a  candid  attitude 


164  IMMORTALITY   REVEALED. 

towards  the  eras  previous  to  the  coming  of  Christ, 
and  see,  on  the  one  hand,  if  there  was  no  ground  of 
hope  ;  and,  on  the  other,  if  that  ground  was  suffi- 
cient. 

Now  one  thing  is  certain,  the  idea  of  a  future  hfe 
was  common  to  all  ages.  The  history  of  religions 
and  philosophies  shows  this.  The  idea  has  run  thus  the 
race,  and  the  exceptions  have  only  proved  the  gener- 
ality of  the  rule ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  mind  has 
been  cultivated,  it  has  been  interested  in  this  great 
idea,  as  the  more  a  man  becomes  wealthy  the  more  he 
is  interested  in  the  securities  of  property.  But  still 
it  is  true,  that  the  conviction  has  been  as  strong  where 
there  was  no  regard  for  logic  and  reasoning,  as  where 
the  most  use  has  been  made  of  these  ;  and,  indeed,  it 
might  be  shown,  that  the  instinct  or  impulse  —  the 
conviction  of  a  future  life  independent  of  reasoning, 
has  been  more  powerful  and  has  shown  itself  in  sub- 
limer  deeds,  than  where  it  appears  to  be  only  a  pro- 
duction of  philosophizing.  The  Indian  who,  as  "  sim- 
ple nature  "  hath  taught  him,  looks  above  the  cloud- 
capped  heaven  as  his  future  home,  has  folded  his  arms 
and  sung  his  death  song  as  his  canoe  went  over  the 
cataract,  with  a  sublimer  heroism  than  Cato  plunged 
the  dagger  to  his  heart,  after  he  had  been  made  to 
feel  that  Plato  "  reasoned  well." 

This  to  me  is  the  sum  of  all  that  human  speculation 
has  done.  Philosophy  may  reason  on,  or  investigate, 
the  grounds  of  this  universal  conviction  of  a  future 
life,  but  it  has  nothing  to  do  with  proofs.  Neither 
consciousness,  nor  observation,  nor  experience,   nor 


IMMORTALITY  REVEALED.  165 

human  testimony,  outside  of  revelation,  can  bring  to 
us  the  proof  of  a  future  life,  much  less  of  Immortali- 
ty. All  the  array  of  speculation  from  Egypt  to  Greece, 
from  amid  the  Pyramids  to  the  Academies  of  Athens, 
cannot  show  any  thing  more  than  that  Men  before 
Christ  were  "  prisoners  of  hope,"  shut  up  from  a  rev- 
elation of  immortality. 

Writers  and  speakers  do  not  distinguish  enough 
between  the  idea  simply  of  a  Future  Life,  and  the 
idea  of  Immortality  ;  and  I  think  it  will  be  extreme- 
ly difficult  to  find  any  record,  previous  to  the  Coming 
of  Christ,  wdiere  the  idea  of  a  continuation  of  life 
beyond  the  grave  uninterrupted  by  something  equiva- 
lent to  death,  was  entertained.  Reasoning,  indepen- 
dent of  Revelation,  is  necessarily  dumb  in  reference 
to  any  future  subjection  to,  or  freedom  from,  a  perish- 
able body,  or  a  change  equivalent  to  death.  All  we 
know  of  mind  here  is  through  its  connection  with  the 
body,  and  there  is  no  analogy  by  which  we  can  get  at 
any  suggestion  relative  to  the  organization  with 
which  the  spirit  is  to  be  clothed  hereafter.  Hence  it 
was  frankly  allowed  by  one  who  presumed  to  be  a 
Christian  Minister,  but  who  rejected  any  need  of 
Christ  to  help  him  to  a  hope  of  immortality,  that  he 
would  not  undeiitake  to  say  to  how  many  successive 
deaths  he  might  be  subjected  in  the  future,  but  he 
felt  sure  of  being  immortal. 

Here  then  is  one  great  distinction  between  philoso- 
phers and  all  other  speculatists,  and  Jesus  ;  Jesus 
Christ  alone  asserted  "  neither  can  they  die  any 
more  ;  "  and  in  the  light  of  this  declaration  the  Apos- 


166  IMMORTALITY  REYEALED. 

tie,  spake  of  the  incorruptible,  powerful  and  glori- 
ous body,  and  the  complete  victory  over  death  — 
death  as  an  ordinance  in  connection  with  man,  abol- 
ished —  done  aAvay. 

Again :  The  future  life  of  the  ancients  was  a  life 
that  did  not  preserve  identity,  but  went  from  one 
transmigration  to  another,  and  the  greatest  stretch  of 
thought  in  reference  to  the  best  minds  only  reached 
to  some  grand  time  when  all  souls  would  be  merged 
into  the  Soul  of  the  Universe,  as  though  particles  of 
light,  after  all  the  transformations  they  may  affect, 
fly  back  to  the  Sun  and  are  again  absorbed  there. 
Those  who  did  not  recognize  the  soul  as  flying  imme- 
diately to  be  absorbed  in  the  Central  Mind,  only  held 
to  its  separation  for  a  period,  when,  by  an  inevitable 
necessity,  it  became  part  of  the  Deity,  and  lived  only 
in  Him,  in  the  great  Renovation,  as  an  hour  is  part  of 
the  day,  as  the  Roman  survived  in  the  glory  of  Rome 
as  a  State. 

Tliis  was  especially  the  doctrine  of  the  Stoics  and 
kindred  sects,  but  when  you  come  to  Socrates  and 
Plato  and  Cicero,  you  will  find  little  that  is  much 
better.  As  I  plod  through  the  strange  and  perplexing 
conversations  and  disquisitions  of  the  Greek  and  Ro- 
man philosophers,  I  am  sadly  impressed  with  the 
weakness  of  their  reasonings,  and  sometimes  I  think 
they  were  more  satisfied  than  it  seems  they  could  have 
been,  because  their  mode  of  investigation  was  so  much 
dialogistical  or  conversational,  in  which  the  mind  has 
to  reason  too  quickly  for  thorough  argumentation. 
AVhat  Macaulay  says,  in  speaking  of  the  Athenian 


IMMORTALITY  REVEALED.  167 

orators  may  be  applied  here  :  "  To  the  conversational 
education  of  the  Athenians,  I  am  inclined  to  attrib- 
ute the  great  looseness  of  reasoning,  which  is  remark- 
able in  most  of  their  scientific  writings.  Even  the 
most  illogical  of  modern  writers  would  stand  perfect- 
ly aghast  at  the  puerile  fallacies  which  seem  to  have 
deluded  some  of  the  greatest  men  of  antiquity." 

It  is,  I  think,  because  of  this  tliat  whenever  think- 
ing minds  go  beyond  what  is  retailed  from  the  pulpit 
about  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  they  find  them- 
selves "in  wandering  mazes  lost"  —  they  discover 
that  there  is  more  of  lively  sophistry,  witty  turnings, 
and  subtle  replying  to  difficulties,  than  calm,  clear- 
brained  argumentation,  that  stands  the  review  of  stu- 
dious hours,  when  the  excitement  of  debate  is  over. 
Men  are  constantly  deceiving  themselves  and  others 
for  the  moment  by  exaggerations  and  happy  hits — an 
ingenious  twitching  of  a  favorite  notion  out  of  the 
meshes  prepared  to  catch  and  hold  it ;  and  when 
these  things  come  into  sober  review,  the  intellect  dis- 
dains to  be  so  sported  with,  and  throws  off  the  en- 
chantment of  the  hour.  Even  Cicero  acknowledged 
that  the  speculation  on  the  future  did  not  satisfy  him 
only  while  he  was  engaged  in  them  ;  they,  therefore, 
made  no  deep  impression  —  nothing  came  of  them 
which  entered  into  the  very  substance  of  his  being,  to 
spring  up  to  his  aid,  as  when  a  man  opens  a  deep 
spring  in  the  earth,  he  finds  water  there  when  he  re- 
quires it.  Half  of  Cicero's  celebrated  argument,  so 
called,  for  immortality,  is  but  an  attempt  to  show  that 
annihilatioii  is  no  evil ;  and  when  you  look  into  his 


168  IMMORTALITY  REVEALED. 

epistles  where  you  see  not  so  miicli  of  the  scholar  as 
the  Man,  where  do  you  meet  his  uses  of  his  exposition 
of  Phito  on  Immortahty  ?  You  cannot  find  any  ;  but 
you  do  find  him  allowing  the  idea  of  no  particular,  or 
individual,  or  identical  existence  for  the  soul  after 
death.  See  him  in  his  elegant  residence,  after  the 
death  of  his  favorite  daughter,  and  what  are  the  con- 
tents of  the  epistles  put  into  his  hands  from  his  friends 
to  console  him  ?  Nothing  that  appeals  to  any  settled 
conviction  of  the  life  beyond  the  power  of  death. 

And  then  when  you  come  to  the  argument  for  Im- 
mortality, as  set  forth  by  Socrates,  Plato  and  Cicero, 
what  are  they  ?  They  are  subtle  disquisitions  of  the 
nature  of  the  soul,  its  origin  and  its  attributes.  They 
begin  with  the  supposition  that  the  soul  has  previous- 
ly existed,  and  therefore  it  is  not  incredible  that  it 
may  exist  again,  overlooking  the  fact,  that  when  there 
is  no  remembrance  of  a  previous  existence,  it  is  the 
same  to  us  as  annihilation.  There  is  no  future  where 
there  is  no  continuity  of  consciousness  —  no  memory 
—  no  identity. 

Then  again,  we  are  told  by  these  ancients,  that  the 
soul  is  immortal  because  it  is  a  self-moving  substance ; 
a  self-moving  siibstance,  they  said,  can  never  cease  to 
be,  since  it  will  always  have  the  power  of  existing 
within  itself,  independent  of  any  foreign  or  external 
cause.  But  this  goes  too  far.  It  ignores  the  Creator ; 
it  separates  the  soul  from  his  Sovereignty  ;  and  sends 
us  into  dreamy  theorizing  as  to  what  constitutes  self- 
moving,  which  is  a  problem  like  Perpetual  Motion, 
which  must  begin  with  discovery  of  substances  that 


IMMORTALITY   REVEALED.  169 

will  not  wear  by  friction  and  which  will  never  permit 
a  screw  to  get  loose. 

All  philosophizing  on  the  nature  of  mind  and  what 
are  called  inevitable  tendencies,  must  contend  with 
these  facts,  namely,  that  no  man  has  yet  defined  the 
distinction  between  matter  and  mind  —  the  attributes 
of  the  one  and  the  attributes  of  the  other  ;  and  if  the 
reasons  be  not  utterly  atheistic,  he  must  allow  that  all 
mind  is  at  the  disposal  of  God.  He  that  created  can 
destroy  ;  and  it  is  far  better  to  get  at  the  best  idea  of 
the  Creator  to  help  our  hope  of  the  immortality  of 
the  Created,  than  to  reason  on  mind  and  its  attributes, 
as  though  there  was  no  Sovereignty  over  us,  and  as 
though  our  reasonings  did  not  in  great  part  apply  to 
brutes  as  to  the  human. 

It  is,  I  admit,  reasonable  to  suppose  that  if  man  is 
made  for  immortality,  some  intimations  of  tiiat  fact 
would  appear  in  his  constitution ;  but  these  intima- 
tions are  not  proofs,  as  all  life  is  a  dependence. 
Every  blossom  on  the  tree  has  its  intimation  of  fruit ; 
every  acorn  bears  the  germ  of  an  oak,  but  we  do  not 
feel  necessitated  to  accept  the  blossom  as  sure  evi- 
dence that  the  fruit  will  be,  nor  can  we  have  any  cer- 
tainty that  the  acorn  will  give  us  the  beauty  and 
grandeur  of  the  oak.  The  tree  is  fully  clothed  with 
fragrant  and  beautiful  blossoms,  and  in  autumn  as  in 
summer,  the  tree  is  bare.  The  ground  is  covered 
with  acorns  where  the  oak  forest  has  been  felled,  and 
lo !  a  growth  of  pines  succeeds.  Hence  these  fre- 
quently used  illustrations  remind  us  only  that  the 
grandest  array  of  the  attributes  of  mind,  the  best 
15 


170  IMMORTALITY   REVEALED. 

arguments  for  its  immateriality,  its  self-motion,  its 
yearnings,  longings,  aspirations,  its  capacities  for  end- 
less progress,  are  but  as  the  intimations  of  the  grub 
■which  enfolds  the  butterfly,  and  speaks  at  best  only  of 
what  may  be  ;  they  cannot  predict  what  will  be.  All 
the  arguments  drawn  from  the  transformation  of  in- 
sects, the  reviving  of  vegetable  nature,  and  the  con- 
trivance of  industry  despite  the  waste  of  the  bodily 
system  and  the  change  of  the  body,  are  analogies 
which,  after  all,  involve  the  idea  of  death.  The  but- 
terfly has  a  briefer  life  than  the  grub  ;  flowers  revive 
only  as  the  species  and  not  as  the  individuals ;  and 
who  knows  but  that  identity  is  transmitted  from  the 
departing  particles  of  the  body  to  the  new  materials 
which  keep  up  the  life  of  the  physical  system  ?  And 
all  these  analogies,  which  are  useful  in  their  places, 
cannot  satisfy  either  in  the  hour  of  vigorous  intellec- 
tuality, nor  in  the  time  when  the  energies  of  the 
mind  are  flagging,  and  the  touch  of  a  kind  hand  is 
more  to  us  than  all  the  argumentation  of  the  world. 
Not  to  Socrates  can  the  soul  go  for  satisfaction,  for 
what  was  his  assurance?  "I  have  strong  hope,"  he 
said,  "that  I  am  going  to  the  company  of  good  men, 
but  on  a  matter  encompassed  with  so  much  doubt, 
it  becomes  us  not  to  be  too  confident."  And  Plato  — 
what  can  he  give  but  brilliant  poetry,  golden  meta- 
physics, chased  with  the  most  subtle  skill  of  elabora- 
ting rhetoric,  and  forcing  us,  as  we  attempt  to  follow 
his  meaning,  to  be  reminded  of  the  sunshine  coquet- 
ting with  the  April  clouds,  and  playing  all  sorts  of 
fantastic  tricks  at  light  and  shade. 


IMMORTALITY   REVEALED.  171 

And  as  to  Cicero,  witli  his  rounded  periods  and 
dignified  speech,  we  feel,  when  we  have  read  him, 
that  no  wonder  he  found  so  httle  to  support  and 
strengthen  in  liis  hour  of  mortal  need. 

Now  when  you  open  the  New  Testament,  there  is 
an  utter  absence  of  metaphysical  reasoning  on  mind 
and  matter,  on  tlie  mortality  or  immortality  of  the 
soul,  and  the  most  learned  and  candid  divines  admit 
with  Archbishop  Tillotson,  that  "the  immortality  of 
the  soul  is  rather  supposed,  or  taken  for  granted,  than 
expressly  revealed  in  the  Bible." 

In  the  New  Testament  the  doctrine  of  immortality 
is  infinitely  removed  from  all  philosophizing.  Je&us 
did  not  say,  to  weeping  Martha,  "The  soul  is  immor- 
tal," but  he  did  say,  "  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again." 
The  New  Testament  enters  into  no  disquisitions  on 
the  attributes  of  mind  to  set  up  the  idea  that  it  can- 
not die,  for  it  expressly  admits  the  power  of  God  to 
destroy  the  soul.  It  presents  two  things  for  the 
foundation  of  an  hope  "sure  and  steadfast"  —  the 
authoritative  declarations  of  Jesus,  and  his  resurrec- 
tion from  the  dead. 

This  is  a  vast  distinction  from  every  method  of  sup- 
porting the  idea  of  immortality  by  referring  to  the 
soul,  and  its  attributes,  its  fears  and  hopes,  its  long- 
ings and  aspirations. 

First,  the  authoritative  teachings  of  Jesus.  That 
he  taught  immortality,  is  unquestionable.  His  an- 
swer to  the  Sadducees,  the  sceptics  or  unbelievers  of 
his  time,  presents  that  fact ;  and  let  it  be  noticed  that 
in  that  promhient  instance  of  his  teaching  immor- 


172  IMMORTALITY   REVEALED. 

tality,  he  based  his  teaching  entirely  on  the  assertion 
of  God  as  the  Scripture  recorded  it,  and  declared  that 
the  Sadducees  erred,  not  because  they  did  not  know 
enough  about  mind,  but  because  they  did  not  know 
the  Scriptures,  nor  the  power  of  God  —  his  power  to 
raise  the  soul  from  the  all-encompassing  under-world 
of  the  Hebrew  religion.  Moreover,  he  asserted  that 
the  resurrected  departed  shall  be  ''  equal  to  the 
angels,"  and  therefore  distinct  individualities ;  "chil- 
dren of  God,"  and  therefore  cared  for  by  parental 
love ;  and  "  they  can  die  no  more,"  and  therefore 
must  be  in  an  incorruptible  state  of  existence,  as  St. 
Paul  elaborates  the  idea  of  the  "  spiritual  body." 

An  individual  existence,  a  filial  relation  towards 
God,  and  an  unsubjection  to  death,  are  a  threefold 
originality  in  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  respecting 
immortality. 

His  authority  was  substantiated  by  his  miracles. 
"  I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life,"  he  said  ;  the 
coming  forth  of  Lazarus  proved  that  he  had  a  imion 
with  the  departed  and  their  God. 

Second,  His  own  Resurrection  we  have  also  spoken 
of  as  a  fact  on  which  to  build  our  hope. 

He  intimated  it,  he  declared  it.  It  was  to  be  the 
great  sign  of  the  divinity  of  his  claim.  He  was  to 
come  forth  from  the  dead  as  Jonah  came  from  the 
sea  ;  and  to  him  his  death  was  only  as  the  burial  of 
the  seed  which  brought  forth  nmch  fruit,  though  while 
it  abode  alone,  out  of  the  earth,  it  was  unfruitful. 
And  as  we  look  through  the  New  Testament  we  find 
that  the  great  fact  recognized  as  the  basis  of  all  the 


IMMORTALITY   REVEALED.  173 

upbuilding  of  the  Christian  Religion  is  the  Resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus. 

That  was  a  fact  —  an  historical,  undeniable  fact  , 
and  one  of  the  best  works  written  on  it  came  from  one 
who  set  out  to  dispute  it.  Tlie  world  must  go  back 
to  the  Crucifixion  of  Jesus  —  his  burial;  and  then 
there  is  his  sepulchre,  and  it  is  tenantless ;  and  for 
forty  days  every  form  of  evidence  of  the  reality  of  the 
Risen  One  being  on  earth  was  given,  and  in  open  day 
he  visibly  departed  upward.  The  timid  became  bold  ; 
a  tremendous  moral  and  intellectual  existence  dawned 
on  and  was  experienced  by  the  disciples  ;  and  when 
one  is  chosen  to  fill  the  place  of  the  dead  Judas,  that 
one  is  a  person  who  had  been  with  Jesns  from  the 
beginning  and  who  Avas  "  a  witness  of  his  Resurrec- 
tion." The  first  ordination  was  to  this  one  point  — 
"  to  be  a  witness  with  the  other  Apostles  of  the  Resur- 
rection of  Jesus."  And  this  great,  stupenduous,  most 
magnificent  fact  was  every  where  set  forth,  as  boldly 
as  when  Peter  treated  the  lame  man  in  the  Temple 
and  said,  to  the  people,  "  Ye  killed  the  Prince  of  Life, 
whom  God  hath  raised  from  the  dead,  whereof  we  are 
witnesses.  And  his  name,  through  faith  in  his  name, 
hath  made  this  man  strong  whom  ye  see  and  know  ; 
yea,  the  faith  which  is  by  him  hath  given  him  this 
perfect  soundness  in  the  presence  of  you  all."  So 
Paul  preached  at  Athens,  and  so  every  where  with  him 
immortality  for  man  was  based  on  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus.  So  he  wrote  in  his  sublime  exposition  of  the 
Resurrection  :  "If  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is  our 
preaching  vain,  and  your  faith  is  also  vain." 
15* 


174  IMMORTALITY   REA^EALED. 

There  is  a  world  of  difference  between  resting  on  a 
fact^  and  resting  on  speculation.  The  one  comes 
within  the  range  of  all  minds  —  all  can  apprehend  it ; 
and  then  too  when  the  intellect  is  dull,  when  the  mind 
is  perplexed,  when  the  chain  of  subtle  reasonings  is 
all  tangled  in  the  brain,  an  example  comes  up  to  our 
apprehension  in  power  and  glory.  It  appeals  to  the 
Imagination,  the  grand  pictorial  faculty,  as  reasoning 
cannot ;  and  hence  the  best  minds,  like  Dr.  Channing, 
of  America,  and  Dr.  Arnold,  of  England,  have  ex- 
pressed their  gratitude  for  the  help  to  faith  which 
came  from  the  Resurrection  of  Christ.  Dr.  Channing 
has  a  sermon  expressly  on  this  point,  preached  imme- 
diately after  the  death  of  a  very  dear  friend  ;  and  Dr. 
Arnold,  speaking  of  a  death  in  his  own  family,  said, 
"  Nothing  afforded  us  such  comfort,  when  shrinking 
from  the  outward  accompaniments  of  death,  the  grave, 
the  grave  clothing,  the  loneliness,  as  the  thougiit  that 
all  these  had  been  around  our  Lord  himself,  round 
him  who  died,  and  who  is  alive  forevermore."  The 
same  is  the  thought  of  Channing,  where  he  says  our 
chief  difficulties  in  reference  to  another  life  spring 
from  the  senses  and  the  imagination,  and  not  from 
the  reason  ;  and  the  Resurrection  of  Christ  meets  the 
senses  and  the  imagination  on  their  own  ground,  and 
contends  with  them  with  their  own  weapons. 

And  one  thing  is  certain,  and  that  is.  While  the 
history  of  Philosophies  show  no  fruits  from  the  best 
speculations  concerning  immortality,  the  Christian 
doctrine  has  wrought  wonders.  However  the  idea 
lived  before  Jesus,   he  gave   it  a  vitality,  a  repro- 


IMMORTALITY   REYEALED.  175 

ductiYG  power  ;  he  made  it  foster  the  best  Yirtiies, 
the  noblest  aspirations,  and  the  divinest  character. 
It  became  a  new  force  amid  the  affairs  of  men  ; 
and  a  demonstration  of  this  is  not  only  to  be  found 
by  historically  tracing  the  connection  between  the 
sentiment  of  immortality  and  human  action  since 
the  time  of  Christ,  but  in  the  entrance  of  the 
Vatican  Museum,  in  Rome,  you  see  spread  out  to 
the  eye  in  a  long  corridor,  the  sides  lined  with  inscrip- 
tions taken  from  the  burial  places  of  the  Pagan  and 
the  Christian,  arranged  on  opposite  sides.  Here,  as 
when  the  beings  these  tablets  commemorate  lived, 
Paganism  and  Christianity  confront  each  other,  and 
show  the  difference  between  Philosophy  and  Revela- 
tion. Here  is  Stoicism  in  its  stately  pride,  and  the 
sweet  spirit  of  the  Christian's  assured  hope  in  God. 
The  Pagan  is  seen  to  have  delighted  in  proud  titles  — 
and  many  names,  but  the  Christian  valued  only  that 
name  which  was  given  in  baptism. 

The  true  office  of  reason  is  now,  Not  to  dwell  on  the 
nature  of  the  soul,  on  questions  of  pre  existence,  on 
self-motion,  on  contrarieties  and  tendencies,  but  on 
the  verity  of  the  Christian  claim  that  Jesus  rose  and 
with  him  God  has  united  the  lot  of  humanity.  "  Now 
is  Christ  risen  and  become  the  first  fruits  of  them  that 
slept."  "  As  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall 
all  be  made  alive."  "  This  corruptible  shall  put  on 
incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  put  on  immortal- 
ity "  — '•  then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  saying  that 
is  written,  "  Death  is  swallowed  up  of  victory." 


SERMON    XYIII. 


PALM   SUNDAY. 

On  the  Ts'ext  day,   much  people  that  were  come  to  the   feast, 

WHEN  they  heard  THAT  JeSUS  WAS  COMING  TO  JERUSALEM,  TOOK 
BRANCHES  OF  PALM  TREES,  AND  WENT  FORTH  TO  MEET  HIM,  AND 
CRIED',  HOSANNAI  HLESSED  IS  THE  KINO  OF  ISRAEL  THAT  COMETH  IN 
THE   NAME  OF  THE    LORD.— J  oliU  xii.  12,  13. 

Since  the  introduction  of  Cliristianitj,  there  has 
grown  up  a  new  power  in  society,  called  the  Public. 
It  is  neither  despotic,  monarchial,  nor  democratic. 
It  makes  no  part  of  the  authorities,  and  yet  holds 
"the  powers  that  be"  in  check,  or  spurs  them  on  to 
the  discharge  of  neglected  duties.  Its  very  intangi- 
bility gives  it  an  overawing  majesty.  It  is  indepen- 
dent of  parties,  laughs  at  the  influence  of  cliques, 
and  constantly  imposes  on  organizations  the  reception 
of  new  methods  or  measures,  making  conservatism 
reformatory  and  saving  radicalism  from  anarchy.  It 
diffuses  itself  everywhere,  and  suddenly  reveals  its 
aggregate  forces  to  the  astonishment  of  the  wisest 
social  tactician,  rising  on  either  side  of  Olivet,  from 
town  and  country,  to  greet  with  triumphal  chorus  the 
new  prophet,  its  own  anointed  kin^-. 


PALM  SUNDAY.  177 

The  statesman  and  politician,  the  reformer  and 
theologian,  sadly  miss  their  way  when  they  overlook 
this  power,  which  is  perpetually  modifying  old  opin- 
ions, removing  the  supports  of  hoary  traditions,  and 
setting  the  best  minds  on  the  new  track  for  the  dis- 
covery of  new  principles  and  the  bringing  out  of  new 
illumination  from  old  doctrines.  And  by  no  method 
can  the  lover  of  genuine  Christianity  find  more  to 
encourage  his  hope  of  ultimate  success,  than  by 
regarding  this  power  ;  tracing  its  progress  in  the  ages, 
and,  despite  the  edicts  of  thrones  and  the  decisions 
of  councils,  asserting  the  great  right  of  individual 
regard  for  what  seems  to  promise  good  to  the  many, 
and  even  when  the  mightiest  attraction  is  ready  to  be 
thrown  around  the  memorial  of  the  past,  it  plucks  the 
palm  and  goes  forth  to  greet  him  whose  Eden  for  man 
is  yet  future. 

To  preserve  the  integrity  of  our  settled  convictions, 
the  results  of  our  deepest,  most  solemn,  and  best 
thinking,  and  to  bide  our  time  when  encompassed  by 
the  excitements  of  this  power,  is  no  mean  attainmentj 
but  it  is  one  of  the  traits  of  the  genuine  man.  Many 
a  great  man  has  become  little  in  such  an  hour ;  he 
has  yielded  to  the  storm  and  cry ;  the  rudder  of  prin- 
ciple has  been  caught  by  the  swift  current  from  his 
grasp,  and  he  has  suffered  shipwreck  when  he  seemed 
very  near  a  safe  port  where  he  might  furl  his  sails  in 
joyfulne&s. 

Not  so  with  Jesus.  He  remained  the  same  amid 
waving  palms  and  multitudinous  shouts  of  homage 
as  when  in  quiet,  or  where  the  demonstration  of  the 


178  PALM    SUNDAY. 

crowd  was  that  of  murderous  passion.  Behind  all 
the  variety  of  circumstances  beat  a  healthy  pulse  of 
loyalty  to  God,  and  alike  to  the  most  obscure  as  to 
the  most  prominent  event  of  life  was  imparted  the 
beauty  and  strength  of  a  filial  spirit. 

Self-control  amid  excitement  seems  to  be  one  of 
the  lessons  of  Christ's  entry  into  Jerusalem,  and  a 
lesson  for  "Palm  Sunday." 

Self-control  is  really  sovereignty  of  mind.  It  im- 
parts the  power  to  act  thoughtfully,  with  discrimina- 
tion and  prudence,  let  circumstances  be  as  they  may, 
and  is  rightly  called  presence  of  mind.  What  is  the 
harmony  and  beauty  of  nature,  the  wonderful  bal- 
ance of  opposing  forces,  and  the  unity  of  purpose 
amid  diversity  of  operations  ?  It  all  springs  from  the 
presence  of  mind  —  that  mind  which  went  with  the 
birth  of  light  amid  chaos,  and  breathed  order  into 
confusion.  God  present  in  nature,  operating  to  educe 
good  from  evil,  and  to  bend  the  rainbow  on  the  brow 
of  the  storm,  gives  us  all  that  we  admire  and  all  that 
opens  vast  fields  of  thought  for  the  searching  intellect 
of  man.  Now  to  passion  and  feeling,  to  appetite  and 
desire,  to  emotion  and  sensitiveness,  to  all  that  we  are 
as  creatures  of  excitement,  mind  must  be  the  ever 
present  and  controlling  force  which  God  is  to  nature 
through  all  its  parts.  And  half  our  troubles  would 
depart  with  the  serene  rising  and  resplendent  illumi- 
nation of  this  great  truth  in  the  soul ;  for  of  nothing 
in  connection  with  ourselves  are  we  so  ignorant  as  of 
the  power  it  is  possible  for  us  to  exert  over  ourselves 
—  how  faithful  we  may  be  to  private  meditation  when 


PALM   SUNDAY.  179 

amid  the  most  bewitching  and  commanding  excite- 
ments, not  permitting  the  alhirements  of  society  and 
the  influence  of  others  to  steal  away  our  strength  of 
mind,  our  healthiest  resources,  and  the  essentials  of 
self-satisfaction. 

Every  class,  every  age,  needs  this  lesson.  It  is  a 
great  problem  for  the  yoimg  to  solve  —  "Can  I  be 
faithful  to  my  highest  aspirations  when  the  pleadings 
of  social  temptations  are  around  me,  when  ridicule  or 
sarcasm  point  their  arrows  at  me,  when  the  narrow- 
ness of  bigotry  or  the  hatred  of  superstition  assails 
my  religion,  or  when  the  success  of  the  hour  would 
prompt  me  to  forget  that  we  are  to  act  in  view  of  the 
future  and  the  record  of  memory,  in  whose  power  is 
the  best  reward  and  the  most  terrible  retribution  ?" 

And  no  matter  how  far  the  man  is  advanced  from 
youth,  new  temptations  follow  his  advances,  and  the 
same  problem  is  for  him  to  solve  under  new  condi- 
tions which  spring  from  other  excitements,  and  other 
irritants  than  he  has  known  before.  And  hence  the 
need  of  considering,  under  all  the  phases  of  our  mor- 
tal existence,  the  self-control  of  Jesus ;  the  more 
than  royal  consistency  of  character ;  the  divine  sym- 
metry of  all  that  he  was  in  his  life  on  eartli. 

It  is  true  that  we  can  never  know  the  same  circum- 
stances which  encompassed,  him,  but  the  same  law  of 
life  holds  good  in  our  sphere  as  in  his,  as  the  same 
point  may  be  touched  to  many  a  mass  of  crystalizing 
liquid,  and  however  dissimilar  the  crystals  which  are 
formed,  yet  they  shall  all  be  beautiful  and  sym- 
metrical. 


180  PALM   SUNDAY. 

Our  glory  is  not  to  wait  for  some  happy  time  to 
bring  outward  influences  to  make  us  good,  but  to 
touch,  with  a  royal  will,  whatever  influences  are  aliout 
us,  to  compel  them  to  aid  us,  so  that  if  the  same  hour 
demands  smiles  and  tears  we  may  give  them  ;  not  as 
the  actress,  but  as  the  summer  sky,  that  is  far  above 
the  crowd  of  the  city,  and  obeys  only  its  Maker's 
laws.  Thus  it  was  with  Jesus  that  memorable  day 
when  he  entered  Jerusalem  in  triumph,  vindicating 
the  joy  around  him,  and  yet  weeping  at  what  only 
his  prophetic  eye  beheld. 

Our  text  is  connected  with  one  of  the  most  dra- 
matic scenes  in  our  Saviour's  career.  As  he  had 
submitted  to  John's  baptism  as  an  ordinance  of  the 
time,  so  he  sent  for  the  colt  on  which  to  ride  into 
Jerusalem  in  fulfilment  of  ancient  customs  that  had 
then  a  sacred  language  and  influence,  as  his  disciples 
learned  when  the  excitement  of  the  day  was  past. 

The  scene  began  in  rural  Bethany,  on  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  at  the  time  when 
Jesus  had  come  to  be  with  Lazarus,  whom  he  had 
raised  from  the  dead.  A  double  curiosity  had  gath- 
ered a  mighty  crowd,  for  Jesus,  the  miracle-worker, 
was  there  by  the  side  of  him  whom  he  had  sum- 
moned from  the  tomb.  And  when  he  left  for  Jeru- 
salem, mighty  crowds,  who  had  paused  on  their  way 
to  the  great  feast,  followed  him  ;  and  no  sooner  had 
his  disciples  brought  the  ass  and  her  colt,  than  his 
disciples  put  their  garments  on  the  beasts,  not  know- 
ing on  which  he  would  ride.  But,  as  ancient  kings 
in  Israel  took  the  humble  position  of  riding  on  a  colt 


PALM  SUNDAY.  181 

when  entering  the  city  of  royalty  for  coronation,  so 
Jesus  thus  seated  himself,  and  in  his  path  garments 
and  palm  hranclies  were  strewed,  expressive  of  hom- 
age to  royalty,  while  the  air  was  rent  with  the  cry  of 
"  Hosanna !  blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord." 

Doubtless  strange  hopes  were  kindled  in  the  hearts 
of  the  crowds.  They  were  acting  as  his  teachings 
had  bidden  them  to  act,  independent  of  leaders  and 
hoary  traditions,  and  while  they  had  one  purpose, 
dreaming  that  Jesus  would  be  their  desire,  he  was 
bent  on  other  aims.  He  knew  the  conspiracy  against 
him,  and  the  determination  on  the  part  of  the  leaders 
to  put  Lazarus  to  death  ;  and  it  may  be  that  he  chose 
this  entrance  to  Jerusalem,  when  so  great  was  the 
collection  of  guests  there,  to  give  the  best  publicity 
to  his  presence  in  view  of  his  approaching  death  and 
resurrection ;  to  show  also  what  were  the  convictions 
of  the  people  when  left  to  themselves,  and  to  convict 
that  very  people  of  the  error  of  their  view  of  the 
kind  of  royalty  he  claimed,  and  how  well  he  knew 
the  reaction  of  popular  favor  where  religious  princi- 
ple is  not  the  life  of  the  soul. 

Beholding  Jesus  amid  the  triumphal  crowd,  the 
sceptic  is  apt  to  say  he  made  pretensions  he  could 
not  maintain ;  but  had  Jesus  made  no  demonstration 
that  he  claimed  to  be  the  royal  person  of  whom  proph- 
ets had  rung  the  grandest  bells  of  promise,  we  should 
be  told,  by  these  same  sceptics,  that  we  err  in  our 
high  estimate  of  his  pretensions,  as  he  never  claimed 
to  be  a  king.  Greatness  will  speak  and  act  the  lan- 
16 


182  PALM   SUNDAY. 

guage  of  greatness  at  times ;  and  from  the  reply  of 
young  Jesus  —  "Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about 
my  Father's  business  ?"  — to  his  answer  to  Pilate  that 
he  laas  a  spiritual  king,  he  asserted  at  every  proper 
time  his  pre-eminence  ;  and  when  the  people  gathered 
to  pay  him  homage  as  king,  it  would  have  been  more 
violent  to  resist  their  offerings  than  to  accept  them ; 
and  the  day  was  to  show  that  however  great  the  hom- 
age paid  to  him,  it  could  not  alter  his  purpose  to  be 
only  a  spiritual  monarch,  nor  win  him  to  the  least 
dependence  on  them  for  a  rescue  from  the  fate  before 
him. 

Behold,  then,  the  mighty  crowd  pressing  their  way 
from  Bethany,  up  the  Mount  of  Olives,  preceding  and 
following  Jesus,  while  the  choral  of  "Hosanna"  be- 
comes like  the  sound  of  seas  when  the  echoes  float 
far  away  and  die  murmuringly  in  the  distance. 

Fleet  messengers  have  gone  before,  and  throughout 
the  holy  city  has  spread  the  rumor  that  Jesus  is  com- 
ing to  Jerusalem,  and  coming  only  as  the  royal  guest 
comes  who  receives  unasked  homage.  Crowds  of 
those  who  had  come  from  all  parts  to  Jerusalem  to 
the  feast  rush  towards  the  eastern  gate  of  the  wall, 
and  as  they  press  up  the  sides  of  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
you  see  the  waving  palms  in  their  hands  flashing  like 
the  green  waves  of  the  sea  in  the  sunlight,  and  it 
seems  as  though  the  space  was  filled  with  a  forest  of 
moving  palm  trees.  And  now  the  choral  on  the 
western  slope  of  tlie  mount  comes  up  and  meets  the 
choral  of  the  moving  crowds  on  the  eastern  slope,  and 
the  floating  hosannas  fly  amid  the  branches  of  the 


PALM   SUNDAY.  183 

olives,  bidding  their  drooping  tops  to  wave  with  the 
applause  of  the  hour.  And  now  the  two  crowds 
meet  —  the  crowd  from  Bethany,  and  the  crowd  from 
Jerusalem  —  and  the  enthusiasm  is  intense,  for  it 
springs  not  only  from  the  greatness  of  the  deeds 
which  had  given  the  prophet  of  Nazareth  his  fame, 
but  also  from  the  thought  that  the  most  golden 
prophecies  of  many  ages  were  now  fulfilling. 

Amid  the  multitudes  were  the  ever  jealous  and 
narrow  Pharisees,  and  they  venture  to  open  their 
dumb  lips  and  speak  to  Jesus,  but  not /or  him.  They 
ask  that  he  would  bid  his  disciples  still  their  cries, 
that  thus  the  outer  multitudes  might  cease  their 
hosannas.  To  these  croakers  Jesus  replies  in  all  the 
royalty  that  belonged  to  his  intrinsic  character,  as  he 
said,  "I  tell  you,  that  if  these  should  hold  their  peace, 
the  stones  would  immediately  cry  out." 

This  answer  shows  that  Jesus  was  up  to  the  height 
of  the  enthusiasm  of  the  time.  He  was  swayed  by 
some  greatness  of  emotion  that  made  John  the  Bap- 
tist to  exclaim  to  tliis  same  class  of  narrow  minds, 
that  they  need  not  boast  of  being  children  of  Abra- 
ham, as  though  that  was  essential  to  the  fulfilment  of 
the  divine  promise,  "for  I  say  unto  you,  God  is  able 
of  these  stones  to  raise  up  children  unto  Abraham." 

Christ  vindicated  the  enthusiasm  of  the  hour.  He 
was  no  foe  to  the  outbursts  of  popular  feeling ;  no 
great  soul  ever  is.  To  the  masses  the  shout  and  the 
choral  are  as  natural  and  proper  as  the  retreat  to  the 
solitude  on  the  part  of  the  scliolar  and  the  Quaker. 
There  is  something  noble  in  the  zeal  of  the  hour,  the 


184  PALM  SUNDAY, 

roar  and  heaving  of  excited  multitudes,  and  it  goes 
up  to  God  as  a  part  of  his  great  economy  as  truly  as 
the  billowy  anthem  of  the  seas  and  the  thunder  of 
the  plunging  cataract.  Jesus  did  not  rebuke  the 
shouting  of  hosannas.  Nay,  if  human  tongues  were 
silent,  the  very  stones  would  cry  out  the  shout  of 
glory,  for  the  birth-hour  of  a  new  era  had  come,  and 
the  stately  palm  trees  marshalled  along  the  avenues 
of  travel,  must  now  be  made  to  furnish  the  waving 
plumes  of  victory,  and  be  evermore  symbols  of  peace. 

But  now  the  descent  is  bringing  Jesus  in  full  view 
of  the  holy  city.  There  spread  out  before  him  were 
the  palaces  and  temple,  the  thronged  streets,  the  busy 
marts,  the  strange  variety  which  makes  up  the  life  of 
a  great  city.  To  him  it  was  not  the  splendor  of  the 
palaces,  nor  the  expressions  of  power  and  wealth, 
that  most  moved  him ;  for  a  city  is  most  interesting 
because  it  concentrates  in  one  area  all  methods  of 
thought,  all  aims  and  purposes.  It  is  the  theatre  of 
ruling  forces.  It  is  the  grand  concentration  of  what- 
ever has  excited  the  imagination,  inflamed  desire, 
fired  the  intellect,  or  stimulated  the  ambition  of  man. 
The  city  is  this  world's  epitome.  It  is  the  mirror  of 
human  nature,  the  judgment  seat  of  all  pretence  to 
integiity,  all  assumed  strength  of  principle,  all  the 
nurtured  virtue  and  piety  of  the  secluded  home,  the 
rural  quiet. 

Amid  enthusiastic  multitudes,  whose  hosamias 
doubtless  became  more  fervent  and  lofty  as  they  came 
in  sight  of  the  city  of  David,  Jesus  paused  as  his  sol- 
emn eyes  looked  full  on  the  sacred  bounds  of  Jerusa- 


PALM   SUNDAY.  185 

lem.  *He  paused  ;  not  to  tell  what  should  be  done 
when  the  triumi)hal  throng  should  enter  the  city,  but 
he  paused  to  weep ;  to  recall  the  voices  of  the  past, 
and  to  tell  as  though  to  vacant  air  the  sorrow  of  his 
soul.  I  doubt  if  Jesus  was  conscious  that  moment 
that  any  body  was  about  him.  He  saw  the  city,  the 
inevitable  fate  impending  over  it,  the  passions  that 
were  undermining  all  strength  ;  and  that  city  now  so 
joyous,  so  ready  for  the  great  memorial  feast,  so 
abounding  with  wealth,  learning,  enterprise,  skill, 
genius,  was,  to  his  vision,  compassed  with  victorious 
armies,  and  their  triumphal  progress  was  not  to  be 
stayed  till  the  torch  was  applied  to  the  temple  and  its 
walls  were  melted  to  the  ground. 

He  wept  unselfish  tears.  He  wept  as  a  patriot 
might  weep.  He  wept  as  only  a  prophet  might  shed 
tears.  He  wept  with  a  sorrow  too  mighty  for  any  but 
the  Son  of  God  to  know. 

But  he  set  up  no  private  grief  against  the  joy  of 
the  multitude.  Into  his  thoughts  it  was  impossible 
for  them  at  that  time  to  enter ;  and  like  the  patriot 
who  folds  some  mighty  bereavement  in  his  heart  and 
goes  forth  to  public  duty,  Jesus  went  on  to  the  end 
of  his  journey  ;  and  while  his  heart  might  have  bro- 
ken, had  it  not  been  held  by  the  love  of  the  Father 
and  by  reliance  on  his  purposes,  he  saw  the  whole 
city  moved  by  the  shout  of  hosanna,  and  the  baffled 
Pharisees  admitting  that  they  prevailed  nothing,  for 
the  world  was  gone  after  him. 

To  the  temple  he  moved.  He  drove  the  iniquitous 
money-changers  from  their  tables,  and  heard  the 
16* 


186  PALM   SUNDAY. 

sweet  voices  of  children  chanting  his  praise.  He 
looked  round  on  all  things  about  the  temple,  and, 
without  taking  one  step  outside  of  his  sphere  as  a 
religious  reformer,  he  left  Jerusalem  in  the  evening 
for  the  quiet  retreat  of  Bethany.  There,  in  view  of 
his  own  death,  he  could  talk  with  one  who  had  known 
its  mysteries,  and  of  his  kingdom  with  the  sisters  who 
had  been  made  by  him  to  smile  when  tears  were  the 
only  food  of  their  eyes. 

What  admirable  self-control  is  here !  What  strength 
of  purpose  living  amid  all  possible  excitement,  show- 
ing its  healthy  puleations  with  every  beat  of  the 
heart,  and  reducing  to  proper  bounds  everything  that 
promises  to  absorb  the  attention  and  harm  the-  sym- 
metry of  life.  This  is  religion  in  its  loftiest  meaning. 
It  has  no  exultation  to  be  followed  by  depression  ;  but 
it  is  ever  the  beautiful  and  sublime  thing  God  would 
have  it  to  be,  as  the  sunsliine  is  the  same  whether 
spreading  over  the  snows  of  the  Alps  or  shining, 
through  a  dew  drop. 

Jesus  calm,  Jesus  enthusiastic,  or  Jesus  weeping 
amid  the  waving  palms,  is  the  sight  for  us  to  behold 
and  to  study.  To  be  great  he  needed  no  peculiar 
array  of  circumstances,  for  the  life  of  a  harmonious 
nature  went  out  into  all  possible  circvimstances,  and 
whatever  the  emergency  required,  that  he  was.  He 
made  nothing  of  all  the  homage  about  him  but  what 
we  can  make  of  the  daily  world  we  see.  Men  all 
about  us  are  ready  to  shout  hosanna  when  their  kind 
of  king  or  opportunity  seems  to  have  come ;  when 
great  deeds  have  unquestionably  been  wrought  for 


PALM  SUNDAY.  187 

humanity ;  -when  dead  hopes  have  come  up  out  of 
the  grave  to  smile  new  courage  into  the  heart ;  but 
reliance  is  not  to  be  placed  on  these  manifestations 
unless  there  is  a  religious  life  behind  all,  to  su2:)port 
and  to  perfect  them. 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  multitude  never  betrays  a 
truly  great  man.  He  remembers  how  trees  blossom 
in  spring  time,  when  there  is  not  enough  of  life  in  the 
tree  to  bring  one  tithe  of  those  blooms  to  fruit ;  and 
this  moral  may  be  applied  to  all  the  details  of  life 
securing  us  against  forming  our  hopes  when  only  the 
promises  of  excitement  are  given.  We  must  go  away 
from  the  sparkling  fountain,  the  playful  jets,  the  rahi- 
bow  hues,  and  seek  after  the  spring,  the  reservoir,  the 
lake,  if  we  would  decide  what  we  are  to  expect  when 
the  trial  hour  comes,  when  the  hot  summer  is  about 
us  and  ten  thousand  streams  are  failing. 

So  was  it  with  Jesus.  He  looked  far  away  from 
the  tumult  of  the  hour.  He  felt  glad  at  the  enthusi- 
asm of  the  crowd.  He  beheld  something  good  in  it ; 
but  it  did  not  betray  him,  and  therefore  he  was  not 
surprised  when  the  cliange  came,  and  some  who  had 
shouted  "hosanna,"  cried  just  as  loud,  "Crucify 
him  1"  Like  him  let  us  seek  the  abiding  grace  of 
God,  rather  than  the  favor  of  man ;  that  is  certain, 
this  is  fluctuating ;  that  is  the  palm  the  Revelator 
saw,  this  the  palm  that  perished. 


SERMON  XIX. 


THE  GREATNESS  OF  CHARITY. 

But  the  greatest  of  these  is  Charity.— 1  Cor.  xiii.  1-3. 

Charity  has  a  greatnes  whether  considered  as  a  prin- 
ciple, a  motive  power,  or  a  perfecting  grace  of  char- 
acter. ''  Now  abideth  faith,  hope,  charity ;  these 
three  ;  but  the  greatest  of  these  is  charity." 

No  one  can  suppose  that  the  Apostle  Paul  intended 
to  depreciate  the  value  of  Faith,  or  the  importance  of 
Hope.  Of  both  of  these  powers  he  spake  magnificent 
things,  and  you  can  hardly  open  his  writings,  or  the 
record  of  his  journeying,  anywhere,  without  instantly 
meeting  some  brave  speech  concerning  the  majesty  of 
faith  and  tlie  beauty  and  joy  of  liope.  He  gives  a 
catalogue  of  the  noble  examples  of  faith  and  tells  what 
grand  issues  flow  from  its  abiding  in  the  man,  giving 
that  perception  of  eternal  things  which  wins  the  best 
energies  of  the  soul  to  work  for  God  and  his  truth. 

Of  hope  he  says  equally  good  things,  for  he  declares 
"  We  are  saved  by  Hope,"  and  that  it  is  the  rejoicing 
of  faith  ;  and  hope,  he  says,  it  is  that  "  maketh  not 


THE   GREATNESS  OF   CHARITY.  189 

ashamed,  hecaiise  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in 
the  heart." 

But  yet  you  will  find  in  no  portion  of  St.  Paul's 
writings  any  contradiction  to  the  sentiment  of  the 
text  concerning  the  greatness,  tlie  pre-eminent  great- 
ness of  Charity ;  for  he  elsewhere  declares  it  to  be 
"  the  bond  of  perfectness,"  and  the  life  of  God  in  the 
soul  of  man.  Whatever  Paul  dilates  upon  —  what- 
ever glory  he  ascribes  to  any  grace  and  powers  — 
whatever  he  commends  to  the  attention  of  his  readers 
or  hearers,  we  may  safely  say  he  would  make  subor- 
dinate to  Charity.  The  greatness  of  Charity,  may 
then  be  our  theme  as  demanding  attention. 

And  first  of  all.  What  is  to  be  understood  by 
Charity  ?  It  is  not  that  sentimental  thing  that  often 
goes  by  its  name,  that  has  no  appreciation  for  princi- 
ples, sees  no  importance  in  doctrines,  and  imagines 
the  world  can  be  saved  as  well  by  error  as  by  truth. 
It  does  not  deal  in  ambiguities  of  speech  ;  nor  by  giv- 
ing new  meaning  to  old  words,  does  it  become  able  to 
use  the  technicalties  of  all  creeds  and  pronounce  the 
shibboleth  of  all  sects  and  parties.  It  does  not  break 
down  the  dominion  in  the  soul  of  frankness  and 
honesty,  clearness  of  conception  and  candor  of  ex- 
pression, as  though  opinion  must  go  like  Mahomedan 
women  in  public,  with  a  veil  on,  and  peering  out  only 
from  the  corner  of  one  eye.  If  this  were  Charity  — 
if  this  timid,  retreating,  disguised  and  lisping  thing 
were  Charity,  then  had  Paul  no  claim  to  the  virtue  he 
so  extolled.  Charity,  as  set  forth  in  the  Ncav  Testa- 
ment, is  something  the  opposite  of  this.     It  is  the 


190  THE   GREATNESS   OF   CHARITY. 

generosity  of  the  heart  shining  through  all  the  stern- 
ness of  the  intellect.  It  is  good  manners  in  disputa- 
tion, and  impels  to  such  a  weilding  of  the  weapons  of 
war,  that  you  cannot  but  admire  tlie  man,  however  you 
may  feel  the  stroke  of  his  sword  or  the  plunge  of  his 
spear.  "  Charity,"  says  Paul,  "  rejoiceth  not  in  ini- 
quity, but  rejoiceth  in  the  truth."  It  is  honest  and 
frank.  It  is  a  kindness  of  feeling  that  rejoices  to 
unite  where  it  can  unite  with  others  in  great  works ; 
and  when  it  refuses  co-operation,  you  see  the  refusal 
is  not  passion  nor  littleness,  but  principle  and  con- 
sistency. Charity  is  but  another  name  for  Love  — 
love  in  its  noblest  and  most  comprehensive  meaning, 
— love  like  that  of  Grod,  that  rejects  one  people  and 
instals  into  power  another,  to  reach  the  great  end  of 
Universal  Redemption. 

Charity  that  abides  with  Faith  and  Hope  must  own 
their  existence,  and  be  hospitable  towards  them  ;  and 
that  pretension  to  Charity  which  requires  the  abandon- 
ment of  all  the  distinction  of  faith,  and  the  reason  for 
our  hope,  is  too  foolisli  to  betray  the  intelligent  mind 
for  a  moment.  The  Charity  that  is  exalted  in  the 
'New  Testament,  is  the  heart  purified  to  the  acceptance 
of  every  thing  human  ;  that  is  eager  to  see  any  proof 
of  goodness  any  where  ;  that  delights  to  work  for 
righteous  ends  with  those  who  may  differ  in  doctrines  ; 
and  honors  what  it  sees  is  virtuous  intention,  though 
the  stroke  be  against  that  which  the  mind  cherishes  as 
the  perfection  of  beauty.  It  says,  as  a  zealous  and 
sometimes  rash  spirit  has  expressed  himself,  that  "  in 
the   applications   of  Christianity   as   a  regenerating 


THE   GREATNESS   OP   CHARITY.  191 

power  upon  Society,  there  is  a  broad  ground,  into 
which  God  is  bringing  men  of  the  most  diverse  ten- 
dancies  in  other  respects.  I  love  to  meet  them  there. 
They  are  my  brethren  ;  for  I  will  account  every  man 
of  incorrupt  life,  of  devout  aspirations,  of  quick  and 
human  sympathies,  of  an  earnest  benevolence,  my 
brother." 

Surely  we  ma}^  believe  that  to  the  eye  of  our 
Heavenly  Father  a  Charity  like  this  is  greater  as  a 
principle  of  life,  as  a  discoverer  of  the  truth,  as  a 
power  to  develope  a  true  character,  and  as  a  motive 
to  all  Christian  duty,  than  any  faith  or  any  hope  that 
would  set  up  a  less  liberal  standard  of  judgment  and 
co-operation.  All  other  greatness  is  small  in  compari- 
son with  this ;  and  why  is  it  so,  may  well  command 
our  attention  as  a  question  of  much  importance. 

I  have  four  reasons  why  Charity  is  the  greatest  of 
great  things  ;  and  the  first  of  these  is  this,  Its  Endur- 
ance-. That  which  is  stamped  with  the  greatest  per- 
petuity must  have  the  most  of  God  and  must  be  most 
like  God.  The  greatest  things  only  are  eternal,  and 
in  the  immediate  context  the  Apostle  says,  "  Charity 
never  faileth  ;  but  whether  there  be  prophecies,  they 
shall  fail ;  whetlier  there  be  tongues,  they  shall  cease  ; 
whether  there  be  knowledge,  it  shall  vanish  away." 
Prophecies  fail  when  the  thing  prophecied  takes  place  ; 
that  is  the  limit  set  to  it  on  the  part  of  God  ;  tongues 
and  languages  by  which  the  truth  bestowed  through 
the  Jew  can  Ije  imparted  to  the  Greek  or  the  Barba- 
rian, must  fail  when  eternity  makes  its  revelation  and 
the  chaos  of  Babel  shall  be  removed  to  make  way  for 


192  THE   GREATNESS   OF   CHARITY. 

celestial  order  and  unity  ;  and  knowledge  once  prized 
becomes  valueless  when  grander  heights  of  truth  and 
experience  are  reached,  as  the  man  puts  away  cJiildish 
things  ;  but  Charity  never  faileth  —  Love  has  a  con- 
tinuous life.  It  is  not  a  thing  of  limits.  It  is  no 
prophecy,  interpretation,  or  knowledge,  that  is  to  be 
swallowed  up  and  lost  in  the  sight  of  grander  things 
than  the  soul  ever  dreamed  of  beholding.  It  is,  in 
comparison  with  these,  like  the  identity  preserved  in 
the  consciousness  of  the  man,  despite  the  entire 
change  in  his  physical  constitution.     It 

"  Lives  through  all  life,  extends  through  all  extent, 
Spreads  undivided,  operates  unspent." 

And  nothing  stamps  more  clearly  as  error,  the  theolo- 
gy opposed  to  our  Great  Hope  than  the  fact,  that  it 
proposes  to  make  a  portion  of  one  race  happy  in  Hea- 
ven by  the  annihilation  of  the  greatness  of  Charity  — 
the  broadest,  noblest,  most  disinterested  exercise  of 
Love.     On  this  ruin  it  builds  its  Heaven. 

Before  it  can  have  a  Heaven  for  the  few  it  regards 
as  the  redeemed,  it  must  have  the  social  susceptibili- 
ties, the  most  enlarged  sympathies  destroyed,  either 
directly  or  indirectly.  What  a  sarcasm  it  would  be 
to  write  over  the  portal  of  such  a  heaven,  "  Charity 
T^EYER  faileth.'^  No,  no  ;  this  idea  cannot  be  the  truth 
of  God.  If  there  is  any  thing  destined  to  immortal- 
ity that  thing  is  Love.  "  He  that  dwelleth  in  Love, 
dwelleth  in  God,  and  God  in  him ;"  and  this  love,  so 
exalted  by  the  Beloved  Disciple,  was  a  love  that  went 


THE   GREATNESS   OF   CHARITY.  193 

out  towards  all  —  that  proved  its  height  and  strength 
heavenward  by  the  breadth  and  extent  of  its  power 
earthward. 

Love  is  greater  than  faith  and  hope,  because  it 
survives  changes  of  faith  and  hope.  It  is  the  identity 
of  the  soul's  life  in  the  noblest  sense,  for  it  is  the  most 
enduring  of  all  things.  It  is  the  inflowing  of  the  very 
essence  of  God. 

Hence  the  next  reason  for  esteeming  Charity  as  the 
greatest  of  great  thhigs  and  that  is,  The  nothingness 
of  all  things  ivithont  it.  This  the  Apostle  asserts  in 
the  text  chapter,  and  asserts  it  most  forcibly.  He 
says  :  "  Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and 
of  Angels,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  become  as 
sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling  symbal.  And  though  I 
have  the  gift  of  prophecy,  and  understand  all  myste- 
ries and  all  knowledge  ;  and  though  I  have  all  faith, 
so  that  I  could  remove  mountains,  and  have  not 
charity,  I  am  nothing.  And  though  I  bestow  all  my 
goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  though  I  give  my  body  to 
be  burned,  and  have  not  charity,  it  profiteth  me  noth- 
ing." What  a  splendid  array  of  gifts  and  graces  is 
here  made,  and  yet  it  seems  possible  that  they  may 
be  as  bubbles  and  not  substance  —  gas  and  not  dia- 
monds. Prophetical  insight,  the  scrutiny  of  the  keen- 
est mental  power,  the  mightiest  energy  that  scatters 
mountain  difficulties,  the  profuse  distribution  of 
wealth,  and  the  bravery  of  martyrdom  itself,  all  —  all 
are  hollow  where  Charity  is  not.  They  are  the  royal 
clothing  of  a  ghost.  So  true  it  is  that  Charity  is  the 
greatest  of  great  things.  It  gives  a  Divine  substance 
17 


194  THE   GREATNESS   OF    CHARITY. 

to  human  graces,  and  at  its  bidding,  that  which  other- 
wise were  but  perishing  beauty,  starts,  like  Jairus' 
daughter,  from  its  shroud,  and  moves  to  beautify  the 
home  and  give  happiness  there  as  only  the  true  daugh- 
ter can. 

But  again.  Charity  is  the  greatest  of  great  things, 
because  it  sways  the  will.  This  is  an  important 
thought,  and  there  is  no  question  in  Philosophy  that 
can  be  more  profitably  discussed  than  this.  Do  the 
Affections  sway  the  Will  ?  One  thing  is  certain,  and 
that  is,  God  proposes  to  sway  the  will  by  love,  by  the 
affections,  by  an  over-mastering  power  of  Charity. 
''  Thou  shalt  love,"  is  the  first  and  it  is  the  second 
commandment,  and  these  embrace  all  duty  to  God  and 
man.  To  bend  the  will  from  one  object  to  another, 
we  must  give  to  that  other  object  the  predominance 
to  attract  the  sympathies,  directly  or  indirectly — as 
men  will  do  what  is  hateful  because  of  the  affections 
which  they  cherish  towards  the  one  demanding  the 
service.  It  is  because  of  this  tliat  sin  is  most  danger- 
ous when  the  temptation  comes  from  those  who  have 
our  hearts  in  their  keeping,  and  we  are  prompted  to 
look  at  a  deed  that  is  terrible  to  our  moral  nature,  as 
some  thing  that  must  be  performed  : — 

'*  That  is  a  step 
On  which  I  must  fall  clown,  or  else  o'erleap, 
For  in  my  way  it  lies." 

and  so  man  goes  to  his  ruin  —  he  sees  Satan  through 
the  disguise,  but  is  soon  beholding  only  the  Angel  of 
light  into  which  by  the  clothing  he  is  transformed. 


THE    GREATNESS   OF   CHARITY.  195 

That  which  a  man  loves  most,  rules  him.  If  he 
has  many  equal  loves,  they  each  are  ruling  powers  for 
a  time  ;  and  that  it  is  so,  is  evident  from  the  contrasts 
seen  in  men, —  now  you  look  on  the  man  of  business, 
cold  and  repulsive  towards  every  thing  l)ut  the  com- 
merce of  the  hour  ;  but  again  you  see  him  in  his 
home,  and  he  is  as  attractive  to  all  genial  spirits  as 
flowers  are  to  the  bees  ;  and  so  too  in  the  social  circle, 
—  the  bow  so  tightly  drawn  to  send  the  arrow  to  the 
mark  in  the  morning,  becomes  the  bow  that  sends  the 
soft  stroke  across  the  viol  to  bring  from  its  strings  the 
sweetest  strain. 

It  is  because  of  this  fact,  that  wherever  man  has 
thought  at  all  on  the  Philosophy  of  the  Will,  he  has 
exalted  the  power  of  kindness.  Daniel  Webster  once 
said,  "  I  can  be  persuaded  to  some  things,  but  I  can 
be  driven  to  none."  So  says  the  Will  everywhere, 
and  the  lines  of  Hudibras  are  lines  of  truth, 

*'  A  man  convinced  against  his  will, 
Is  of  the  same  opinion  still." 

What  he  prefers,  he  must  love  ;  what  he  loves,  he 
nmst  prefer.  And  that  surely  is  the  greatest  of  great 
things  that  sways  the  AVill  —  that  is  the  engineer  of 
the  innermost  energy  of  the  man  —  that  is  constantly 
expressing  its  supremacy  as  where  the  story  shows  us 
the  Philistines  who  had  stolen  the  Ark  of  the  Taber- 
nacle and  staggered  beneath  the  burden,  while  the 
Jews,  who  loved  it,  bore  it  along  over  the  hill  with 
ease.  Duties  that  we  love  not  are  clogs.  He  that 
clings  to  the  world  rather  than  to  Christ,  must  look 


196  THE   GREATNESS   OF  CHARITY. 

the  solemn  fact  in  the  face  —  that  he  loved  the  world 
more  than  Christ,  and  that  love  sways  his  Will. 

It  is  not  inability  —  it  is  not  natural  or  moral  in- 
firmity of  the  Will  that  keeps  ns  from  becoming  more 
godly.  It  is  our  loves  —  our  affections  that  are  more 
fed  and  strengthened  by  sinful  desires,  than  by  Angels 
food.  Hence  when  Dr.  Chalmers  aimed  for  more  of 
the  Christian  spirit,  the  wisest  thing  he  did  was  to 
attempt  a  course  of  disciplhie  to  make  more  success- 
ful his  efforts  at  "  the  sustained  contemplation  of 
Divine  things,"  mark  that,  "  the  sustained  contempla- 
tion of  Divine  things  "  ;  his  desire  was  to  keep  the 
highest  things  always  highest  in  his  soul  by  his 
thoughts  upon  them  —  to  overcome  all  the  influence 
that  made  him  let  himself  down  below  the  platform 
of  the  true  Christian. 

And  this  suggests  the  fourth  reason  why  Charity  is 
to  be  esteemed  the  greatest  of  great  things,  and  that 
is.  It  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  Law.  This  is  not  said 
of  Faith ;  it  is  never  said  of  Hope ;  but  it  is  said  of 
Charity  or  Love.  Faith  without  Love  cannot  work, 
for  Faith  worketh  by  Love.  Hope  without  Love  is 
selfish,  and  nothing  selfish  is  Christian  ;  and  therefore 
Love  is  the  grand  essential. 

There  is  no  duty  in  which  Love  does  not  have  a 
part.  It  is  the  only  power  by  which  we  can  act  as 
God  acts  —  for  to  Him  does  not  belong  Faith,  and  he 
cannot  be  said  to  Hope,  but  the  whole  universe  and 
the  Holy  Scriptures  are  eloquent  with  the  truth  that 
He  loves.  "  We  love  Him,"  said  John,  for  himself 
and  his  fellow  believers,  "  because  He  first  loved  us. 


THE   GREATNESS   OF   CHARITY.  197 

Beloved,  if  God  so  loved  us,  how  ought  we  to  love  one 
another  !"  "  God  is  Love  "  —  heaven  sings  it  —  earth 
repeats  it,  and  the  sea  has  no  other  meaning  in  its 
roll,— 

"  Tis  nature's  Avild,  uncojiscious  sono^, 
O'er  thousand  waves  that  floats  along." 

He  that  wishes  to  do  something  as  God  does  all 
things  has  only  this  to  do  —  exercise  a  pure  love  —  an 
enduring,  an  edifying,  a  will-swaying  love.  He  who 
performs  one  act  of  disinterested  benevolence,  acts  so 
far  on  the  high  plane  of  the  Deity.  Every  addition 
to  that  one  act,  helps  so  much  his  advance  toward  the 
greatness  of  the  Father ;  and  a  multiplication  of  like 
acts  is  the  triumphal  passage  of  the  soul  along  that 
path  to  which  Jesus  invited  mankind  when  he  said, 
"  Love  your  enemies  ;  bless  them  that  curse  jou  ;  do 
good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  who 
despitefully  use  you  and  persecute  you,  that  ye  may 
be  the  children  of  your  Father  which  is  in  Heaven ; 
for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the 
good,  and  sendetli  rain  on  the  just  and  unjust."  "  Be 
ye  therefore  perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in 
Heaven  is  perfect."  i.  e.  by  acting  on  the  principle  of 
Love. 

This  then  is  the  greatest  of  great  things  —  to  love, 
to  show  love  by  deeds  of  love  —  to  give  love  for  hat- 
red, to  do  this  because  we  recognize  the  soul  that  can 
be  brought  into  harmony  with  right  and  good  in  no 
other  way.  We  can  imitate  God,  not  in  the  strength 
17* 


198  THE   GREATNESS   OF   CHAEITY, 

of  our  faith,  nor  in  the  might  of  our  hope,  but  in  the 
pureness  and  victoriousness  of  our  Charity.  We  want 
what  God  has  —  Charity  for  those  who  have  no  faith 
or  a  wrong  faith  ;  who  have  no  hope  or  a  narrow  one  ; 
and  it  may  help  us  in  the  right  way  to  remember, 
that  it  may  be,  ire  are  more  wanderers  from  the  true 
greatness  of  gospel  faith  and  hope  in  the  sight  of  God, 
than  our  conceptions  of  that  greatness  make  us  con- 
sider others  as  wanderers  from  the  truth  because  of 
their  less  liberal  creed.  "  Now  abideth  Faith,  Hope, 
Charity.     But  the  greatest  of  these  is  Charity." 

The  greatest !  what  strifes  the  world  has  seen  for 
the  thing  deemed  greatest !  When  will  the  world  see 
a  nobler  strife  —  :Sor  the  greatness  of  Charity  !  Some- 
times it  would  seem  as  though  that  age  was  dawning, 
—  as  though  the  veil  of  the  holy  of  holies  was  rent 
and  the  high  priest  of  Humanity  walked  face  to  face 
with  the  world  !  But  the  shadows  fall  and  the  night 
is  dark  again ;  the  beautiful  stars  are  hidden  ;  and 
even  Christians  go  groping  about  as  though  Christ 
was  not  the  Light  of  the  World.  His  example  can  be 
quoted  for  no  greatness  but  that  of  Charity  ;  and  what 
were  the  most  touching  of  his  parables  but  the  two 
that  told  the  story  of  the  Prodigal  received  by  that 
fatherly  love  which  covers  a  multitude  of  sins,  and  the 
story  of  the  wounded  Jew  saved  by  one  who  was  des- 
pised of  his  nation.  What  to  Jesus  was  the  story 
of  how  priest  and  levite  might  have  been  defiled  by 
touching  the  blood  stained  traveller;  and  what  cared 
he  for  the  spiritual  pride  of  the  elder  brother  who 
shrunk  from  contact  with  his  father's  son  !     There  is 


THE   GREATNESS   OF   CHARITY.  199 

no  defilement  where  the  aim  is  to  do  good ;  there  is 
no  moral  contagion  where  the  spirit  is  right ;  and 
Howard  and  Elizabeth  Fry,  coming  from  among  the 
vilest  criminals,  were  more  pure  than  many  a  priest 
in  his  cassock  and  many  a  bishop  in  his  lawn.  Yes, 
he  whose  life  is  governed  by  love,  who  compares  his 
love,  not  with  human  conduct  any  where,  but  by  the 
true  faith  and  hope,  shall  be  pure  —  pure  as 

"  A  sacred  si  ream 
In  whose  calm  depths  the  beautiful  and  pure 
Alone  are  mirrored ;   which,  though  shapes  of  ill 
May  hover  round  its  surface,  glides  in  light 
And  takes  no   shadow  from  them." 


SERMON    XX 


THE  RESURRECTIOX   OF  JESUS. 
And  if  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is  our  preaching  vain,  and 

YOUR  FAITH  IS   ALSO  VAIN.  —  1  Cor.    XV.    14. 

No  language  could  give  to  the  Resurrection  of  Je- 
sus, as  an  historical  fact^  greater  importance  than 
this.  On  that  fact  turned  the  vses  of  Apostolic 
preacliing  and  the  faith  of  the  Christian  ;  and  there 
is  always,  to  me,  an  unspeakable  moral  sublimity  in 
the  position,  that  the  Gospel  argument  for  Man's  Im- 
mortality was  not  built  of  subtle  speculations  on  the 
nature  and  attributes  of  mind,  but  on  a  single  fact  — 
an  incident — an  event — the  Resurrection  of  Jesus 
from  the  Dead.  Reasonings  and  speculations  appeal 
but  to  a  class  of  minds  ;  but  facts  liave  a  voice  for 
all ;  and  as  this  day  is  celebrated  in  the  Churches  of 
many  portions  of  Christendom  as  Easter,  I  have 
thought  I  might  appropriately  speak  at  this  time  in 
consideration  of  the  fact  to  which  the  festival  of  this 
day  appeals  —  a  festival  which,  by  its  peculiar  glad- 


THE  RESUREECTION  OF  JESUS.        201 

ness,  honors  the  greatness  of  the  fact  of  the  Rising  of 
Jesus  from  the  Dead.  That  event  glorified  the  world, 
as  the  rising  of  the  morning  sun  changes  the  aspect 
of  all  nature  ;  or  as  the  rising  of  the  Spring  time 
of  tlie  year  spreads  over  the  face  of  the  earth  child- 
hood's beauty.  And  as  the  day  would  be  without 
the  sun,  and  as  the  year  without  the  Spring  time,  so 
would  existence  be  without  the  great  fact  of  Christ's 
Resurrection,  in  contrast  with  what  that  existence  is 
by  their  light  and  glory  of  that  blessed  and  magnifi- 
cent truth. 

I  need  not  spend  much  time  in  treating  of  the  real 
or  supposed  discrepancies  observable  in  the  details  of 
the  different  accounts  of  Christ's  Resurrection,  for  the 
greater  the  fact  the  less  is  the  importance  of  some  de- 
tail that  enters  into,  really,  only  the  costume  of  the 
narrative.  What  we  are  concerned  to  know  is,  wheth- 
er the  main  fact  of  the  Resurrection  is  fully  sustain- 
ed ;  and  not  whether  there  is  not  some  difference  of 
statement  in  reference  to  those  minutiae  that  might 
easily  be  explained  by  reference  to  points  of  view, 
and  other  peculiarities,  which  give  an  individuality  to 
the  different  narratives. 

And  then,  too,  the  singularity  and  stupendousness 
of  the  event  itself,  must  necessarily  have  created  con- 
fusion, which,  more  or  less,  would  affect  the  percep- 
tion of  slight  details,  while  the  main  fact  would  stand 
out  in  bold  prominence  in  irresistible  might. 

The  Evangelists  admit  that  the  disciples  had  no 
faith  in  the  prospective  Resurrection  of  Christ ;  and 
the  beautiful  narrative  of  the  two  walking  to  Emma- 


202        THE  RESURRECTION  OF  JESUS. 

US,  sad  and  dispirited,  graphically  sets  forth  what  was 
the  common  feeling.  When,  therefore,  the  event 
came,  tliey  were  unprepared  for  it ;  and  while  the  fact 
might  burn  its  way  to  the  soul  and  leave  its  daguer- 
reotype irremovably  there,  the  excitement  of  mind 
might  prevent  all  of  them  from  seeing  the  same  de- 
tails alike,  and  yet  one  clinging  so  tenaciously  to  his 
own  perceptions,  as  to  be  unwilling  to  compromise 
with  another  for  the  sake  of  a  perfect  harmony  of  de- 
tail. A  perfect  harmony  of  detail  would  inevitably 
speak  of  collusion. 

The  differences  in  the  narratives  of  the  Evangelists 
are  just  what  might  be  expected  on  reasonable 
grounds,  and  the  care  and  study  which  they  impose 
on  the  reader  is  needful  to  draw  out  the  undesigned 
coincidences  and  proofs  of  the  truthfulness  of  the 
narrative.  A  perfect  harmony  in  detail  would  be 
against  all  reason.  It  would  sink  the  individuality  of 
■  the  narrators.  It  would  make  them  appear  as  the 
ditferences  of  time  and  character  forbid. 

The  time  of  the  visit  of  the  woman  to  the  sepul- 
chre is  described  by  Matthew  as  the  beginning  of  the 
day's  dawn  ;  by  Mark,  as  very  early  in  the  morning, 
at  the  rising  of  the  sun  ;  by  Luke,  as  being  early  in 
the  morning  ;  by  John,  as  early,  while  it  was  yet  dark. 
Now,  this  difference  amounts  to  nothing  at  all,  for 
John,  in  speaking  of  the  time  as  being  whei:  it  was 
yet  dark,  may  be  supposed  to  refer  to  the  garden 
where  was  the  sepulchre,  and  where  the  shadows 
would  linger  longer  than  without ;  and  while  Matthew 
speaks  of  it  being  when  the  day  began  to  dawn,  while 


THE  RESURRECTION  Op   JESUS.         203 

Mark  states  the  time  to  be  ver  early,  at  the  rising  of 
the  sun,  it  may  naturally  be  supposed  that  neither  of 
them  spoke  with  philosophical  exactness,  or  intended  so 
to  speak.  The  double  form  of  expression  employed  by 
Mark  has  a  significance,  for  he  speaks  of  the  time  as 
"  very  early,"  as  well  as  "  at  the  rising  of  the  sun," 
as  though  the  time  was  somewhat  indefinite,  and  he 
would  only  assert  that  the  time  was  the  morning,  ere 
the  sun  had  shed  his  light  on  the  earth.  In  this  the 
Evangelists  all  agree  ;  and  it  is  not  unreasonable  to 
suppose  that  what  to  Mark  might  be  spoken  of  as  very 
early,  at  the  rising  of  the  sun,  might  be  spoken  of  by 
Matthew  as  at  the  dawn  of  the  day. 

But  there  are  other  portions  of  the  details  of  the 
narratives  which  strike  my  mind  with  great  force, 
because  they  present  so  many  exhibitions  of  what 
would  be  natural  in  the  expression  of  emotions  and 
feelhigs  on  such  an  occasion  ;  and  they  bring  to  the 
mind  of  the  meditative  reader  the  conviction  that  he 
is  communing  with  a  reality.  How  impressive  is  the 
record  concerning"^  the  running  of  John  and  Peter  to 
the  sepulchre  after  the  news  of  the  Resurrection, — 
John  outrunning  Peter,  and  yet  hesitating  at  the 
mouth  of  the  tomb  ;  and  Peter  coming  up,  and,  Avith 
his  characteristic  impetuosity,  darthig  down  into  the 
place  where  the  Lord  had  been  laid.  Then  John 
takes  courage  to  enter,  and  then  what  a  picture  he 
gives  of  how  he  found  the  grave-clothes,  —  "the 
cloth  that  was  about  the  head  of  Jesus  not  lying  Avith 
the  linen  clothes,  but  wrapped  together  in  a  place  by 
itself."     This  detail  seems  unimportant  at  the  first 


204  THE   RESURRECTION   OF   JESUS. 

sight,  but  it  is  not  so,  because  the  order  implied  in 
this  folding  of  the  head  cloth  and  its  being  laid  in  a 
separate  place  by  itself,  speaks  of  the  same  quietness 
at  the  Resurrection  as  Jesus  always  observed  at  the 
times  when  he  wrought  his  miracles.  The  Resurrec- 
tion to  him  was  but  the  awakening  to  an  expected 
life,  and  every  thing  was  as  quiet  and  orderly  in  his 
doings,  as  with  the  opening  of  the  bud  into  the  bloom 
of  Spring  time,  or  with  the  rising  of  the  sun. 

But  more  than  this :  The  idea  had  come  to  the 
disciples  that  the  dead  body  of  Jesus  had  been  stolen 
away.  With  this  thought  they  had  entered  the  sep- 
ulchre, and  hence  their  notice  of  the  grave-clothes 
and  of  the  order  in  which  they  were  left.  What 
seems  to  contradict  a  report,  we  are  apt  to  notice  at 
once.  They  did  not  imagine  that  the  clothes  woiild 
be  removed  ere  the  body  was  taken. 

Many  are  the  glimpses  given  us  in  these  narratives 
of  the  workings  of  Nature  ;  and  the  more  we  embody 
in  our  minds  the  characteristics  of  the  disciples,  and 
thus  have  them  with  us,  the  more  we  shall  see  that 
the  representations  of  them  in  these  narratives  are 
justified.  Of  one  thing  I  am  certain,  and  that  is, 
that  any  course  of  reasoning  that  would  break  down 
the  evidence  of  the  Resurrection  of  Jesus  as  an  his- 
torical fact,  would  break  down  the  evidence  for  the 
most  undoubted  things  of  History. 

But  there  is  a  fact  to  which  I  now  would  ask  your 
attention  wliicli  deserves  the  profoundest  thought.  It 
is  this.  That  had  it  not  been  for  the  Resurrection  of 
Jesus,  Christianity  would  have  perished.     The  Res- 


THE  RESURRECTION  OF  JESUS.         205 

■urrection  alone  preserved  it,  and  Paul  spoke  none  too 
positive  when  lie  said,  "  If  Christ  be  not  risen,  our 
preaching  is  vain,  and  your  faith  also  is  vain."  But 
the  fact  would  have  gone  farther  than  this,  on  the 
ground  that  Christ  was  not  risen,  for  no  preaching 
would  have  taken  place,  and  no  faitli  would  have  been 
cherished  in  Christ.  If  this  position  be  sound,  then 
the  conclusion  must  be,  that  the  fact  that  Christianity 
is  and  has  been  since  the  times  of  the  Apostles,  is 
proof  that  Jesus  did  actually  rise  from  the  dead  — 
giving  the  world  a  light  such  as  the  sun  never  poured 
from  his  exhaustless  fount  of  beauty.  Herbert  wrote 
the  truth  when  he  sang  of  Easter,  — 

"  Can  there  be  any  day  but  this, 

Tho'  many  suns  to  shine  endeavor  ? 

We  count  three  hundred  ;  but  we  miss; 

There  is  but  one,  and  that  one  ever.'* 

The  proposition  then  is,  Christianity  would  have 
perished,  had  it  not  been  for  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus ;  and,  therefore,  whatever  is  the  worth  of 
Christianity  must  be  made  the  standard  to  enable  us 
to  appreciate  the  importance  of  the  resurrection  of 
Jesus. 

What  was  the  condition  of  his  disciples  at  his  death  ? 
It  is  common  to  represent  them  as  flying  from  him, 
and  having  no  courage  to  put  forth  any  confession  of 
faith  in  him.  This  is  true  ;  but  something  more  is 
true,  and  is  also  explanatory  of  this  fact.  At  the 
time  Jesiis  died,  not  a  soul  had  entered  into  the  real 
character  of  his  mission.  They  were  all  blind  to  its 
18 


206         THE  RESURRECTION  OF  JESUS. 

spiritual  meaning,  its  highest  import ;  they  had  been 
so,  save  at  times  when  first  impressions  were  received 
and  the  heart  took  in  the  greatness  of  his  thoughts 
with  a  childUke  trustfuhiess.  In  speaking  of  his 
approaching  death,  Jesus  spake  of  himself  as  left 
alone  with  the  Father,  and  it  was  so.  The  greatness 
of  his  tru-ths  was  unapprehended,  and  none  of  his 
followers  were  capable  of  taking  up  the  work  he  had 
begun  and  bearing  it  on  to  success.  When  Blake, 
the  most  imaginative  of  painters,  was  called  to  see  his 
devoted  wife  die,  she  said  to  him  that  the  greatest 
sorrow  of  death  was,  that  when  she  was  gone,  no  one 
would  be  left  that  would  understand  him.  So  Jesus, 
at  his  death,  might  have  said  of  his  work,  his  relig- 
ion :  no  one  would  be  on  the  earth  to  understand  it. 
He  had  left  no  record  of  his  teachings.  He  had  spok- 
en freely,  and  wherever  he  had  performed  his  won- 
ders and  made  his  claims  known,  he  had  done  noth- 
ing that  looked  like  an  attempt  to  trust  to  the  ordi- 
nary means  of  perpetuating  one's  fame.  And  on  the 
most  extraordinary  occasions  we  find  him  referring 
to  his  resurrection  as  the  great  sign  or  proof  of  his 
divine  authority.  (Matt.  xii.  38,  40,  John  ii.  18,  22, 
vi.  30.)  To  this  he  pointed  the  Pharisees  on  three 
occasions,  as  above ;  and  I  can  but  think  that  the 
great  reason  why  the  disciples  did  not  recall  his 
prophecies  of  the  resurrection  was,  the  humiliation  to 
which  he  submitted  previous  to  his  death,  which 
seemed  to  indicate  that  he  had  no  power  left.  The 
picture  of  the  two  going  to  Emmaus,  is,  as  I  have 
said,  a  fair  portraiture  of  the  condition  of  mind  in 


THE  RESURRECTION  OF  JESUS.        207 

which  the  death  of  Jesus  left  his  followers.  He  was 
crucified  on  Friday.  The  next  day  was  the  Jewish 
Sabbath,  wlien  it  was  defilement  to  go  near  a  tomb. 
Then  Jesus  slumbered  in  the  mystic  sleep  of  death. 

"At  length  the  worst  is  o'er,  and  thou  art  laid 

Deep  in  thy  darksome  bed ; 
All  still  and  cold  beneath  yon  dreary  stone 

Thy  sacred  form  is  gone  ; 
Around  those  lips  where  power  and  m°rcy  hung, 

The  dews  of  death  have  clung; 
The  dull  earth  o'er  thee,  and  thy  foes  around. 
Thou  sleep'st  a  silent  corse,  in  funeral  fetters  wound." 

Around  that  tomb  Roman  soldiers  are  placed,  and 
they  go  their  rounds  of  watching.  Their  presence, 
after  the  stone  rolled  into  the  mouth  of  the  cave  is 
sealed,  speaks  of  the  false  apprehension  that  the  dead 
body  may  be  stolen  by  his  disciples,  those  timid  and 
broken-hearted  creatures.  That  guard  was  placed 
there  at  the  request  of  those  to  whom  Jesus  had 
prophecied  his  resurrection,  and  thus  had  invited 
their  precautions.  But  how  vain  was  anything  of 
this  kind,  if  the  purpose  of  God  was  to  be  effected. 
And  so  it  proved  ;  and  I  rely  for  the  convincing  proof 
of  the  absolute  reality  of  the  resurrection,  not  so 
much  on  this  or  that  argument  from  a  collection  of 
passages,  as  on  the  marvellous  change  which  took 
place  in  the  character  and  conduct  of  the  discij^les 
after  the  event  of  the  resurrection.  Something  must 
have  caused  that  change.  That  event  came  as  a 
grand  intellectual  and  moral  influence  ;  and,  as  never 
before,  the  disciples  bowed  to  the  authority  of  Christ ; 


208         THE  RESURRECTION  OF  JESUS. 

they  became  as  bold  as  martyr  courage  can  make  the 
man  ;  they  were  lifted  higher  and  higher  in  the  appre- 
ciation of  his  religion ;  and  they  commenced  their 
work  in  the  very  city  where  Jesus  was  condemned, 
and  the  first  martyr  died  as  he  was  pressing  home  the 
claims  of  the  crucified,  who  was  seated  on  the  right 
hand  of  God,  enthroned  in  spiritual  power. 

The  crowning  proof  of  Christianity  as  the  religion 
of  heaven,  was  the  resurrection  of  its  founder ;  and 
hence  Paul  begins  his  grand  discourse  on  the  resur- 
rection state  by  laying  down  the  historical  fact  of 
Christ's  resurrection.  The  platform  of  truths  on 
which,  as  an  Apostle,  he  stood,  he  declared  to  be  the 
facts  of  the  death,  burial,  and  resurrection  of  Christ. 

First,  the  resurrection  was  established  by  "many 
infallible  proofs." 

Second,  the  impression  of  these  proofs  wonderfully 
changed  the  character  of  the  disciples,  and  they  be- 
came martyrs,  not  to  an  opinion,  a  belief,  an  infer- 
ence, but  to  the  reality  of  what  they  had  seen. 
When  the  choice  of  an  Apostle  was  made  to  take  the 
place  of  Judas,  the  choice  was  limited  to  those  who 
had  been  all  the  time  disciples  from  the  baptism  of 
John  to  the  ascension,  and  the  purpose  is  set  forth  to 
be,  that  he  may  be  "  ordained  to  be  a  witness  with  us 
of  his  (Christ's)  resurrection,"  as  though  that  fact 
was  the  great  central  fact  of  the  permanence  of 
Christianity,  as  it  really  is. 

Third,  we  see  the  change  wrought  by  the  resurrec- 
tion was  not  only  moral,  but  intellectual.  The  men- 
tal calibre  of   the    disciples  wonderfully  increased. 


THE   RESURRECTION   OF   JESUS.  209 

The  mightiest  fact  had  tlie  mightiest  influence  ;  and 
it  would  be  a  grand  theme  for  some  master  mind  to 
discuss  —  the  intellectual  influence  on  the  disciples 
of  the  resurrection  of  their  Master. 

But  there  is  something  worthy  of  remark  in  the 
rapture  of  soul  which  was  associated  with  the  moral 
and  intellectual  change  wrought  by  the  fact  of  the 
resurrection.  The  Apostles  did  not  receive  simply 
the  resurrection  of  Christ,  but  also  the  result  with 
which  that  event  was  associated  —  its  connection  with 
the  resurrection  of  all  mankind.  1  Peter  i.  3  — 
''  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  which  according  to  his  abundant  mercy  hath 
begotten  us  again  unto  a  lively  hope  by  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead." 

But  the  fact  that  all  are  to  be  immortal,  while  it 
certainly  gives  us  a  hope  of  immortality  as  parts  of 
the  race,  does  not  impart  rapture  ;  we  want  to  know 
into  what  kind  of  an  immortality  the  resurrection 
will  usher  us.  The  unclouded  glory  of  the  resurrec- 
tion state  shall  therefore  be  our  next  theme. 


18^ 


SERMON    XXI 


THE  UNCLOUDED  GLORY  OF  THE  RESURRECTION. 

As  "WE  HAVE  BORTfE  THE  IMAGE  OF  THE  EARTHY,   WE  SHALL  ALSO  BEAR 
THE   IMAGE  OF   THE  HEAVENLY.— 1   Cor.   XV.   49. 

Bj  these  words  I  understand  the  Apostle  to  speak 
of  the  human  spirit  and  its  earthly  and  heavenly  em- 
bodiment ;  or,  in  other  words,  he  treats  of  the  terres- 
trial and  celestial  vehicle  for  mind,  spirit,  the  etherial 
essence,  or  wliatever  we  may  call  that  which  survives 
death  and  constitutes  man  the  image  of  God. 

I  intend,  in  the  present  discourse,  in  the  light  of 
the  grand  idea  which  the  text  expresses,  to  treat  of 
the  unclouded  glory  of  the  resurrection  state ;  and  I 
intend  to  do  this  with  the  purpose  of  showing 
that  that  is  the  best  view  and  use  of  the  divine 
ordinance  of  punishment,  which,  while  it  keeps  in 
view  the  immortal  state,  does  not  cloud  the  glory  of 
that  state  witli  the  mists  of  a  vaporous  philosophy, 
or  the  dreamy  fog  of  learned  speculations. 

In  the  context  the  Apostle  treats  of  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Christ,  his  headship  over  humanity,  and  the 


UNCLOUDED  GLORY   OF  THE  RESURRECTION.       211 

complete  success  of  his  mission  as  the  Mediator  and 
Saviour  of  the  world. 

Treating  thus  triumphantly  of  the  resurrection 
state,  he  proceeds  to  take  up  and  answer  certain  ob- 
jections, which  he  thus  introduces: — "But  some 
will  say.  How  are  the  dead  raised  up  ?  and  with  what 
body  do  they  come  ?'* 

These  were  natural  questions  for  the  Greeks,  who 
saw  the  dead  body  reduced  to  ashes,  and  whose  subtle 
speculations  concerning  the  mind's  survival  were 
always  unsatisfactory.  Paul,  in  his  reply,  struck 
home  to  the  idea  which  lay  behind  these  questions, 
that  there  was  nothing  that  survived  death,  and  he 
referred  to  the  seed  sown :  how  the  germ  lives  after 
the  dissolution  of  the  body,  how  God  preserves  the 
identity  of  the  kind  of  grain  whose  seed  is  sown,  and 
how  he  gives  that  increase  which  he  pleases. 

Then  the  Apostle  directs  attention  to  the  variety  of 
bodies  which  God  has  fashioned  to  hold  certain  rela- 
tions to  air,  earth  and  water ;  all  meeting  the  design 
of  God  and  exhibitive  of  his  skill  and  power. 

Then  he  rises  to  the  heavenly  orbs,  and  shows  what 
bodies  are  there  differing  in  glory  according  to  the 
relations  which  they  hold  as  ordained  of  God. 

And  then,  as  he  can  go  no  farther  without  baseless 
speculations,  he  proceeds  to  set  forth  by  the  authority 
of  a  divine  inspiration,  and  as  a  matter  of  pure  faith 
for  Christians,  that  theie  is  as  distinct  a  contrast  be- 
tween the  conditions  or  tlie  surroundings  of  the  soul 
in  this  and  the  next  state  of  existence,  as  there  is  a 
contrast  of  glory  in  the  works  of   God  in  various 


212        UNCLOUDED   GLORY   OF   THE   RESURRECTION. 

parts  of  the  creation,  where  he  gives  one  gloiy  to  the 
sun  —  a  transcendant  glory  ;  and.  another  to  the  moon 
—  a  mere  subordinate  glory. 

Paul  then  takes  up  his  first  figure  of  the  seed,  and 
runs  an  extended  contrast  between  the  terrestrial  and 
the  celestial  state,  comparing,  as  I  understand  him, 
the  human  soul  to  the  surviving  germ  of  the  seed. 

Here,  in  this  present  state  of  being,  the  condition 
of  man  is,  comparatively,  set  forth  as  a  seed  sown  in 
corruption,  dishonor,  weakness,  and  in  a  natural  or 
earthy  body ;  and  the  condition  of  the  surviving  soul 
in  the  resurrection  state  is  set  forth  as  a  seed  raised 
in  incorruption,  honor,  glory,  and  in  a  spiritual  or 
celestial  body. 

And  then  he  adds,  "The  first  man,  Adam,  was 
made  a  living  soul ;  the  last  Adam,"  or  the  second 
man,  "  a  quickening  spirit.  The  first  man  is  of  the 
earth,  earthy ;  the  second  man  is  the  Lord  from 
heaven."  All  that  distinguished  Jesus  from  Adam,  is 
the  symbol  of  the  difference  bettveen  the  celestial  and 
the  terrestricd  state,  and  so  Paul  adds,  "As  is  the 
earthy,  such  are  they  also  that  are  earthy ;  and  as  is 
the  heavenly,  such  are  they  also  that  are  heavenly. 
As  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  we  shall 
also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 

And  then  he  goes  on  to  show  that  this  grand  con- 
trast of  conditions  for  the  human  soul,  is  to  be  effect- 
ed by  the  power  of  God,  in  the  changes  wrought  by 
his  ordinance  of  the  resurrection. 

The  ordinance  of  the  resurrection  is  as  uncontroll- 
able by  man,  is  as  irresistible  in  its  operations,  as  the 


UNCLOUDED   GLORY  OF  THE  RESURRECTION.       213 

ordinance  of  death.  The  celebrated  Blancho  White, 
in  his  wikl  ideas  about  human  agency,  rebelled 
against  the  idea  that  he  must  live  again  and  be  im- 
mortal. He  wished  the  power  of  choice ;  but  God 
has  prerogatives  he  will  not  yield  to  man,  and  among 
these  is  the  sovereign  act  by  which  the  dead  are 
raised  to  incorruption  and  glory. 

Paul  assumes  the  same  ground  which  the  Saviour 
occupied,  and  the  reasonings  of  the  Apostles  are,  in 
their  real  import,  identical  with  Christ's  answer  to 
the  Sadducees  —  "Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  power 
of  God."  The  Sadducees  did  not  believe  in  angel  or 
spirit ;  and  their  ideas  of  the  glory  of  God  must  have 
been  as  limited  as  the  idea  of  those  in  our  day,  who 
cannot  allow  to  the  Deity  to  have  one  switch  on  the 
plane  of  entrance  into  eternity,  to  alter  for  good  the 
run  of  a  soul  whose  course  of  evil  not  only  makes 
dangerous  his  own  prospects,  but  mars  also  the  happi- 
ness of  others. 

As  I  read  and  study  the  Apostle,  he  treats  of  the 
identity  of  man  preserved  in  conditions  of  life  un- 
speakably more  happy  than  the  present ;  it  is  all  the 
difference  between  incorruption  and  corruption ;  glory 
and  dishonor ;  power  and  weakness ;  a  spiritual  body 
and  a  natural  or  earthy  body. 

Where  is  the  philosophy  that  can  fathom  the  chan- 
ges, the  intellectual  and  moral  changes  to  the  soul, 
which  may  spring  from  these  new  surroundings  — 
these  new  conditions  of  life  ?  Who  has  come  from 
that  world  of  incorruption,  glory,  power,  spirit,  to 
tell  us  what  electric  changes  shoot  through  the  mind, 


214        UNCLOUDED   GLORY   OF   THE   RESURRECTION. 

rousing  dormant  powers,  quickening  sluggish  affec- 
tions, refining  the  sympathies,  and  so  bringing  the 
hand  of  harmony  to  the  discordant  harp  of  the  soul, 
that  its  music  is  the  jubilant  tones  of  immortal  order  ; 
the  rapture  of  a  spirit  at  one  with  God  ? 

Who  can  tell  what  influences  are  thrown  off  with 
the  laying  aside  of  the  earthly  clothing  of  the  soul  — 
the  destruction  of  the  terrestrial  vehicle  for  mind  ? 
and  who  can  tell  what  new  influences  may  come  with 
the  putting  on  of  the  heavenly  clothing  for  the  spirit 
—  the  celestial  vehicle  for  the  mind  ? 

There  are  great  changes  to  be  anticipated.  Phi- 
losophy is  dumb  before  the  unseen  future.  It  may 
begin  to  speculate  after  the  Resurrection  ;  but  to 
speculate  before  is  to  judge  before  the  time,  and  Paul 
cautions  us  to  "judge  nothing  before  the  time."  And 
nothing  seems  to  me  more  absurd  than  to  read  what 
theologians  who  ignore  all  elevated  ideas  of  Divine 
Sovereignty,  tell  us  concerning  philosophical  specula^ 
tions,  wliere  there  is  no  data  for  philosophy  to  use. 
In  its  proper  place,  I  honor  Philosophy.  She  has 
shown  us  what  a  net  work  of  wisdom  is  this  light  of 
the  stars. 

She  has  unbraided  the  rainbow  and  dipped  all  its 
brilliant  threads  into  the  white  sea  of  light,  and 
shown  what  glory  the  intervention  of  the  crystal  drops 
of  the  rain  may  bring  forth  from  the  sunbeam. 

She  has  lifted  her  wand  of  power  and  the  circuits 
of  the  winds  have  been  revealed,  and  we  have  looked 
in  upon  the  stores  of  the  clouds  and  the  treasury  of 
the  snows  and  rains. 


UNCLOUDED   GLORY   OF   THE   RESURRECTION.        215 

The  liglitning  has  become  the  messenger,  and  "  the 
still  small  voice  "  passes  from  city  to  city,  from  island 
to  continent ;  and  the  imprisoned  vapor  works  more 
mightily  for  Civilization  than  Samson  did  for  the 
Philistines. 

Philosophy,  with  the  grand  facts  of  principles  of  the 
New  Testament,  has  defined  the  Rights  of  Man,  and 
Progress  is  now  the  rallying  cry  of  the  sublimest 
agencies  of  the  present  era  of  humanity. 

Philosophy  is  good  in  its  place,  as  Jesus  bade  the 
people  listen  to  those  who  sat  in  Moses'  chair,  while 
he  guarded  them  against  their  example  as  men.  So 
now,  let  Philosophy  be  honored,  but  let  her  keep  in 
her  own  sphere,  and  not  attempt  to  explore  the 
Third  Heavens,  to  speak  of  the  future  as  but  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  present. 

The  glory  of  the  Resurrection  is  a  matter  of  pure 
faith.  It  presents  the  idea  of  conditions  of  human 
existence  in  the  immortal  state  for  which  there  are  no 
analogies  here.  Authority  asserts  those  conditions 
to  be  those  of  incorruption,  glory,  power,  in  contrast 
with  corruption,  dishonor,  and  weakness ;  or,  in  the 
language  of  the  text,  the  heavenly  in  contrast  with 
the  earthy.  Here  is  unclouded  glory  for  our  faith. 
They  who  shun  it  for  a  miscalled  pjiilosophy,  have 
their  reward. 

Here,  then,  are  the  Apostle's  positions : — 

First,  There  is  something  that  survives  the  death  of 
the  body,  as  the  naked  body  in  the  bath  is  separate 
from  common  garments  thrown  of,  and  the  festival 
garments  to  be  put  on. 


216    UNCLOUDED  GLORY  OF  THE  RESURRECTION. 

Second,  That  something  is  to  be  clothed  with  a 
heavenly  body,  whose  attribute  or  qualities  as  a 
Ychicle  for  mind,  are  greatly  to  be  distinguished  from 
the  attributes  or  qualities  of  this  perishable  frame. 

Third,  we,  therefore,  cannot  use  the  image  of  sleep, 
or  transition  from  boyhood  to  manhood,  as  fit  emblems 
of  the  great  change  from  mortality  to  immortality, 
for  sleep,  or  this  transition  from  boyhood  to  manhood, 
does  not  dissolve  the  body  and  reclothe  with  a  vastly 
different  embodiment. 

Fourth,  And,  so  too,  we  are  to  reject  the  idea  of 
their  being  no  abrupt  change  at  death.  Death  itself 
is  often  abrupt. 

"  Leaves  have  their  time  to  fall, 
And  flowers  to  wither  at  the  north  winds  breath, 
And  stars  to  fade  ;  but  thou  hast  all, 
All  seasons  for  thine  own,  O  Death." 

And,  to  me,  this  seems  symbolical  of  man's  great 
change  —  it  is  not,  like  that  of  the  flowers  and  the 
leaves,  that  in  their  individuality  are  no  more  ;  but  it 
is  the  throwing  off  of  a  body  which  the  soul  knows 
and  has  used,  and  the  putting  on  of  a  body  of  which 
it  now  knows  but  this,  and  this  by  faith — it  is  incorrup- 
tible, glorious,  powerful,  and  belongs  to  a  heavenly 
condition,  which  cannot  imply  tlie  presence  of  Sin. 

This  view  of  the  Resurrection  state  —  its  imclouded- 
glory,  recognizes  sin,  and  the  punishment  of  sin.  Sin 
is  "the  sting  of  death"  —  the  sting  of  sin,  is  its 
punishment ;  and  it  is  an  object  of  faith  for  us,  that 
all  sin  is  adequately   punished  in  the  sinful  state. 


UNCLOUDED  GLORY  OF  THE  RESUURECTION.   217 

How  we  do  not  always  know ;  but  the  certainty  we 
may  confide  in. 

And  here  is  the  great  reason  why  I  would  keep  dis- 
tinct the  punishment  of  Sin  as  a  matter  of  this  exist- 
ence, and  just  as  distinct  the  unclouded  glory  of  the 
Resurrection  as  the  promise  of  the  Father ;  that  rea- 
son is,  that  every  transfer  of  punishment  to  the  future 
makes  uncertain  all  that  we  say  of  present  Retribution, 
All  our  argument  for  the  important  and  essential  doc- 
trine of  present  Retribution  becomes  modified  ;  and, 
what  is  more,  all  our  Scripture  quotations  in  its 
behalf,  must  be  used  either  with  a  mental  reserve,  or 
an  honest  admission,  that  while  they  seem  to  teach  the 
present  Retribution  for  sin,  they  are  to  be  accepted 
with  those  limits  that  speculative  philosophy  teaches 
its  disciples  to  entertain  concerning  the  state  of  souls 
hereafter. 

The  moral  power  of  Universalism,  it  seems  to  me, 
has  come  from  the  holding  up  of  two  facts.  Present 
Retribution  for  Sin  and  Present  Reward  for  Obedience, 
in  the  light  of  the  Divine  Love  that  created  us  to  be 
holy  and  blessed,  and  which  expresses  itself  in  the 
present  Retribution  for  sin,  and  the  present  Rewards 
for  Obedience.  Stupendous  changes  have  been 
wrought  by  the  proclamation  and  advocacy  of  these 
ideas  ;  and  whenever  we  choose  to  set  up  the  idea  of 
punishment  as  reaching  into  the  immortal  state,  no 
man  can  forbid  us  doing  so  ;  but  all  honest  men  will 
demand  that  vv^e  use  the  Scriptures  in  reference  to 
present  Retribution  in  a  manner  that  shall  imply  that 
we  do  not  believe  that  "  every  transgression  and  dis- 
19 


218       UNCLOUDED    GLORY   OF   THE   RESURRECTION. 

obedience  received  a  just  recompense  of  reward," 
tinder  the  Mosaic  economy,  nor  that  "  the  righteous 
are  recompensed  in  the  earth,  much  more  the  wicked 
and  the  sinner."  Let  us  say,  "  All  this  brethren  is 
uncertain.  We  must  take  these  Scriptures  as  assert- 
ing only  that  there  is  some  Retribution  in  this  life ; 
and  cling  to  the  idea,  that  whatever  sin  is  not  punished 
here,  will  surely  be  punished  hereafter,  as  the  child 
was  certian  that  if  he  did  not  receive  full  punishment 
at  school,  he  would  have  it  made  up  at  home." 

This  is  honest  talk  ;  and  let  it  go  on  to  show  how 
this  theory  lessens  the  attractions  of  the  immortal 
gtate  —  makes  us  uncertain  whether  our  departed  are 
in  a  condition  of  punishment  or  not ;  and  modifies  all 
the  rapture  of  those  hours  of  high  devotion  when  we 
were  wont  to  muse  on  the  unclouded  glory  of  the  Re- 
surrection state  and  sing  :— 

"  No  cloud  those  regions  know, 

Forever  tright  and  fair;  ^ 

For  sin,  the  source  of  mortal  woe. 
Can  never  enter  there." 


SEEM  ON    XXII. 


LIFE  A  CLOUD. 

For  what  is  your  life?    It  is  even  as  a  vapor  that  appeareth 

FOR  A   LITTLE  TIME  AND  THEN   VANISHETH   AWAY.  —  Juilies  iv .  li. 

A  flitting  cloud  !  what  is  more  transient  than  that  ? 
A  moment  it  floats  before  our  sight  like  a  beautiful 
bird  that  sails  along  the  upper  sea  and  then  darts 
away  to  be  seen  no  more. 

Such  an  object  is,  in  our  text,  made  the  emblem  of 
mortal  life  ;  but  let  us  be  cautious  not  to  carry  the 
metaphor  beyond  due  bounds.  Tlie  comparison  is  not 
between  mortal  life  considered  as  a  series  of  years 
and  the  flitting  cloud,  but  between  the  sudden  inter- 
ruption or  ending  of  mortal  life  and  the  passage  of 
the  transient  vapor.  To  look  over  tlie  years  of  the 
past  of  our  lives  —  to  take  up  all  the  experiences 
through  which  we  have  passed  —  the  changes  to  which 
we  have  been  subjected  —  the  births  and  the  deaths 
in  our  homes  —  tlie  alternations  of  good  and  evil  for- 
tune, and  the  enlargement  of  our  observations  and 
knowledge  in  connection    with   the  discoveries   and 


220  LIFE   A    CLOUD. 

progress  of  our  times,  is  to  require  something  better 
than  a  flitting  cloud  to  represent  our  Hfe.  The  Cloud 
that  symbolized  the  Divine  Presence  to  the  Hebrews 
during  their  forty  years'  journeyings,  can  alone  serve 
our  purpose.  Only  to  God  are  a  multitude  of  years 
like  yesterday  when  it  is  passed,  or  a  watch  in  the 
night ;  but  to  us,  as  to  Job,  "  years  speak  and  a  mul- 
titude of  years  show  wisdom."  Years  rise  up  like 
the  steps  of  the  Pyramids,  and  more  and  more  exten- 
sive becomes  the  review  of  life,  like  a  cloud  that 
spreads  more  to  the  east  and  the  west,  unfolding  new 
wonders  by  every  change. 

But  this  is  not  opposed  to  the  sentiment  of  the 
Apostle  who  gave  our  text.  His  only  object  was  to 
employ  a  similitude  that  would  set  forth  the  sudden- 
ness with  which  our  hold  on  earth  may  be  loosened. 
This  is  evident  from  the  subject  on  which  he  was  writ- 
ing. That  subject  was  the  Ambitious  Schemes  of 
men  who  speak  of  a  year,  and  of  v/hat  they  will  buy 
and  sell,  and  of  the  gain  they  will  store  up,  as  though 
life  was  secured  to  them  beyond  question.  "Go  to 
now,  ye  that  say.  To-day  and  to-morrow  we  will  go 
into  such  a  city,  and  buy  and  sell,  and  get  gain  ; 
whereas  ye  know  not  what  shall  be  on  the  morrow ; 
for  what  is  your  life  ?  It  is  even  a  vapor,  that  ai> 
peareth  for  a  little  time,  and  then  vanisheth  away." 
St.  James  had  in  view  a  similar  idea  to  that  which  our 
Saviour  expressed  in  his  parable  of  the  rich  man 
whose  ground  brought  forth  plentifully,  and  who  pro- 
posed to  himself  to  pull  down  his  barn  and  build 
greater,   saying  to  his  soul,  Soul,  thou  hast  much 


LIFE    A    CLOUD.  221 

goods  laid  up  for  many  years ;  take  thine  ease,  eat, 
drink,  and  be  merry."  But  there  was  OiiO  who  knew 
more  and  who  was  forgotten  in  this  estimate  of  life. 
God  said  unto  him,  "  Tliou  fool,  this  night  thy  soul 
shall  be  required  of  thee."  What  to  him  would  then 
be  his  stores !  Like  a  cloud  they  would  pass  away, 
and  the  heavens  would  be  naked  to  his  sight,  for  he 
had  thought  nothing  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness. 

The  issue  of  a  single  day  may  change  all  the 
schemes  of  the  most  ambitious,  as  the  electric  lips  of 
the  Telegraph  yesterday  told  iis  of  the  death,  after  a 
sickness  of  fifteen  minutes,  of  one  of  the  wealthiest 
merchants  of  Boston,  whose  enterprise  was  building 
new  factories  at  an  outlay  of  a  million  of  dollars  in 
the  new  city  bearing  his  name.  How  like  the  passing 
of  a  cloud  was  the  passage  of  that  life !  What  a 
change  can  fifteen  minutes  work  ! 

To  check  unbridled  ambition,  to  arrest  the  passing 
on  of  too  intense  a  pursuit  of  business  schemes,  St. 
James  expressed  the  sentiment  of  the  text.  It  is  well 
to  ponder  the  lesson,  and  see  how  the  eye  that  spreads 
its  vision  far  and  wide  with  speculating  intent  may 
suddenly  be  covered  with  the  mist  of  the  grave,  and 
the  cunning  hand  lie  cold  and  still  and  stiff  in  death. 

But  ivliy  did  the  Apostle  express  this  thought 
against  too  intense  a  reliance  on  the  extension  of 
years  on  earth  ?  Was  it  to  foster  gloom,  to  cast  over 
all  human  projects  the  shadow  of  uncertainty,  to  un- 
nerve energy,  to  dispirit  the  adventurous,  and  to  kill 
all  ambition  ?  No  ;  there  is  nothing  in  Christianity 
19* 


222  LIFE   A   CLOUD. 

that  favors  such  a  purpose.  It  is  the  religion  of  in- 
dustry, enterprise,  extended  schemes  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  mighty  projects  ;  and  no  where  is  there  to 
be  found  such  a  spirit  of  boundless  and  unconquera- 
ble enterprise  as  where  the  purest  forms  of  Christian- 
ity are  received.  By  the  Gospel  men  catch  the  spirit 
of  that  Providence  that  links  ages  by  a  continued 
purpose  ;  that  works  in  the  time  of  Abraham  for  glo- 
ry to  be  developed  in  the  day  of  Christ ;  and  the  sen- 
timent of  Immortality  is  only  received  aright  when  it 
inspires  that  nobility  of  activity  which  implies  the 
consciousness  of  possessing  faculties  capable  of  indefi- 
nite improvement. 

What  St.  James  desired  was.  The  Recognition  of 
God.  He  did  not  say,  "  Give  up  your  schemes  of  en- 
terprise ;  release  your  hold  on  all  ambition  ;  do  not 
talk  of  going  to  this  or  that  city  ;  do  not  pile  up  your 
visions  of  gain ;  do  not  trust  to  the  future ;  look  on 
life  but  as  a  morning  cloud  on  which  no  dependence 
whatever  is  to  be  placed."  He  did  not  speak  thus ; 
but  he  did  say,  "  Ye  ought  to  say.  If  the  Lord  will, 
we  shall  live,  and  do  this  or  that.  But  now  ye  re- 
joice in  your  boastings ;  all  such  rejoicing  is  evil." 
That  is,  "  Ye  forget  the  Sovereign  Disposer.  Ye  in- 
dulge in  Atheistic  talk.  Ye  multiply  schemes  in 
which  there  is  no  thought  of  those  eternal  relations 
which  belong  to  the  highest  aims  of  man;  and  no 
one  could  judge  from  your  career  that  you  had  any 
faith  in  God  or  Providence." 

It  was  to  Christians  that  this  rebuke  was  adminis- 
tered ;  and  this  age  of  ours  demands  it  as  much  as 


LIFE  A   CLOUD.  223 

that  of  the  Apostles.  A  sudden  bereavement,  a  pros- 
trating sickness,  some  awful  and  impressive  calamity, 
is  too  often  needed  to  break  the  charm  which  ambi- 
tious schemes  have  woven  round  the  soul,  and  with  a 
fearful  commentary  comes  the  Saviour's  words,  "  A 
man's  life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the 
things  which  he  possesseth."  It  is  better  to  have  the 
Beatitudes  without  riches,  than  riches  without  the 
Beatitudes  ;  and  that  life  is  right  that  never  loses 
sight  of  the  reverence  that  says,  "  If  the  Lord  will,  I 
shall  live,  and  do  this  or  that." 

Is  not  this  the  sentiment  of  the  opening  year  ?  To 
feel  our  dependence  on  God  ;  to  realize  that  all  our 
springs  are  in  Him  ;  to  cherish  a  consciousness  that 
in  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being,  is  the 
grand,  central  sentiment  of  true  piety.  It  overarches 
all  life  with  the  Providence  of  God.  It  makes  all 
scenes  to  have  some  attractions.  It  fills  the  dark  with 
beautiful  things,  as  the  stars  beautify  the  gloom  of 
night.  It  encourages  and  strengthens,  it  restrains 
and  subdues,  as  the  exigences  of  the  earthly  life  may 
require  ;  and  when  death  comes, 

"  It  is  the  bright,  triumphal  arch, 
Thro'  ^vhich  the  saints  to  glory  march." 

But  my  text,  as  a  theme  for  the  first  Sabbath  of 
the  Year,  reaches  farther  than  the  thought  it  express- 
es. It  is  suggestive,  and  far  more  so  than  my  time 
will  allow  me  to  follow,  as  I  ask,  "  What  is  your 
life  ?  "  and  compare  that  life  to  a  Cloud. 


224  LIFE   A    CLOUD. 

We  are  intellectual  and  moral  beings  —  we  are 
creatures  who  are  influenced  by  choice  as  well  as  by 
circumstances,  and  in  view  of  these  facts  the  question, 
"  What  is  your  life  ?  "  assumes  greater  significance, 
and  more  abounding  with  meaning  is  the  comparison 
that  likens  life  to  a  Cloud. 

What  is  more  beautiful  than  a  cloud  ?  The  scene- 
ry of  the  clouds  deserves  more  attention  than  is  giv- 
en to  it.  It  is  constantly  changing,  and  when,  with 
a  poet's  eye,  we  look  upon  its  picturing,  so  expressive 
of  the  principles  of  finest  art,  we  cannot  but  feel  the 
truth  of  Percival's  lines  :  — 

"Ye  clouds,  that  are  the  ornament  of  heaven  ; 
Who  give  to  it  its  gayest  shadowings 
And  its  most  awful  glories  ;  ye  who  roll 
In  the  dark  tempest,  or  at  dewy  evening 
Bow  low  in  tenderest  beauty ;  —  ye  are  to  us 
A  volume  full  of  wisdom." 

The  clouds  are  among  the  most  frequent  of  the  im- 
ages emj)loyed  in  the  sacred  Writings  where  the  su- 
premacy and  providences  of  God  are  the  themes. 
They  are  his  chariot,  the  chariot  of  his  angels,  and 
the  throne  of  the  Mediator,  the  garments  of  Jeho- 
vah's glory  ;  and  to  us  they  may  speak  of  Him  ;  and 
beautiful  in  the  humblest  association  is  the  waving 
and  folding,  the  flashing  and  the  embroidery  of  the 
drapery  of  the  palace  of  the  Winds. 

Tlic  cloud  may  give  to  us  a  succession  of  beauties, 
and  so  may  human  life. 

The  cloud  shows  how  glorious  the  defiled  vapors  of 


LIFE  A   CLOUD.  225 

the  earth  are  when  once  touched  by  the  celestial 
transformation  ;  so  human  life  becomes  glorious  when 
regenerating  grace  hath  operated,  and  tlie  heart's  af- 
fections are  purified  and  "  changed  from  glory  to 
glory  as  by  the  spirit  of  the  Lord." 

The  cloud  may  soften,  by  its  veiling  power,  the  in- 
tense heat  of  the  sun,  where  the  laborer  bends  to  his 
toil  or  the  pilgrim  pursues  his  weary  way ;  and  so 
human  life,  when  used  to  raise  up  defences  for  the 
exposed,  and  to  spread  a  shield  for  the  weak,  may  be 
a  blessing  and  a  joy. 

And  from  the  cloud  may  come  the  vivifying  rain — 
the  balmy  shower  —  the  blessing  that  wakes  the  sleep- 
ing bud  to  ripening  bloom,  and  freshens  the  face  of 
Nature  ;  and  so  the  man  whose  life  is  what  the  Lord 
demandeth  —  what  Christianity  proposes  to  make  it, 
is  the  richest  of  blessings  to  those  about  him  on  whom 
his  influence  falls ;  he  refreshes  the  languid  spirit, 
and  the  progress  of  the  soul  he  affects  shows  why,  in 
the  Scriptures,  the  good  m.an  is  compared  to  the  be- 
neficent influence  of  the  fruitful  clouds,  recalling  the 
poet's  similitude :  — 

"  The  clouds  were  touched, 
And  in  their  silent  faces  could  be  read 
Unutterable  love." 

And  even  the  change  which  brings  the  dark  mass 
where  all  was  serene  and  beautiful,  till  the  fierce 
lightnhig  and  the  rolling  thunders  come  flashing  and 
pealing  to  the  earth,  has  its  similitude  for  human  life. 


226  LIFE   A    CLOUD. 

Thy  life,  0  man  !  what  is  it  but  as  yon  lone  cloud 
from  which  alone  can  come  the  voice  to  clear  these 
mists,  to  give  life  to  the  smothering  atmosphere,  to 
permit  burdened  souls  to  breathe  free  again.  Why 
did  our  Saviour  give  the  name  of  Son  of  Thunder  to 
one  of  the  commissioned  teachers  of  his  religion,  but 
because  that  name  was  fitly  applied  in  his  day  to  the 
wise  spirits  who  could,  like  thunder,  clear  away  the 
elements  of  moral  disease.  Men  like  the  work  that 
is  effected  by  thunder,  but  they  could  wish  the  en- 
ginery might  be  muffled,  or  act  like  the  steam  engine 
in  the  Mint,  whose  escape  pipe  is  hidden  and  whose 
breathing  is  so  low. 

With  the  similitude  thus  enlarged,  the  question 
returns,  "  What  is  your  life  ?  "  your  moral,  do- 
mestic, social,  intellectual  life  ?  What  are  the  influ- 
ences which  the  vital  forces  of  your  existence  send 
abroad  ?  To  what  kind  of  a  cloud  is  your  example, 
your  character,  your  soul,  to  be  likened  ? 

Tiiree  answers  come  to  this  question,  —  from  the 
past,  showing  what  ive  have  made  our  life  ;  from  the 
present,  showing  what  we  wish  our  life  to  be  ;  and 
from  God,  in  his  Word  and  by  his  Son,  showing  what 
our  life  may  be. 

What  is  your  life  —  my  life  —  the  life  of  each  one 
of  us  ?  The  irrevocable  Past  makes  answer,  and  the 
full  answer  can  be  heard  only  by  the  consciousness  of 
each  Soul.  Tlie  heart  that  lies  nearest  to  us  cannot 
know  it  all.  It  is  not  best  that  it  should  be  other- 
wise. And  what  answer  does  the  Past  make  ?  What 
principles  have  swayed  us  —  what  desires  have  ruled 


LIFE   A   CLOUD.  227 

US  —  what  has  been  the  ruling  passion?  In  what 
have  we  made  our  happiness,  our  ambition  to  con- 
sist ? 

The  text  was  originally,  as  I  have  said,  directed  to 
those  to  whom  life  was  only  Business.  The  City,  to 
them,  was  a  grand  Mart,  an  extensive  Exchange,  and 
the  cloud  of  sails  on  the  river  where  Commerce 
streamed  her  gay  pennons  to  the  breeze,  was  more 
beautiful  and  inspiring  than  any  view  of  the  upper 
sea.  To  bu.y  and  sell,  and  to  get  gain,  was  not  one  of 
the  ends  of  human  life,  but  the  chief  end  ;  their  sun 
was  the  glitter  of  gold,  and  the  waxing  of  their  moon 
was  the  increase  of  the  per  centage  of  the  dollar,  but 
no  table  could  tell  when  their  full  moon  would  come. 
They  lost  sight  of  the  moral  purposes  of  existence 
to  which  commerce  and  business  are  really  but  tribu- 
taries, and  they  made  secondary  the  things  of  the 
family,  the  State  and  the  Church,  that  ought  to  be 
foremost  of  all.  Life  thus  became  something  unallied 
to  the  things  of  religion,  the  resources  of  faith,  the 
conquests  of  truth,  the  achievements  that  restrain  de- 
sire and  subjugate  appetite  to  the  control  of  the  mor- 
al sentiments.  The  stock  book  and  ledger  are  worn, 
while  the  Bible  is  dusty ;  and  Sabbaths  are  like  the 
blank  leaves  between  the  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
bearing  but  very  few  records. 

He  who,  in  consulting  the  Past,  discovers  that  his 
life  has  really  been  in  the  mastery  of  the  senses,  and 
that,  according  as  his  means  have  permitted,  he  has 
fed  his  soul  with  the  love  of  things  beautiful  and  good, 
knows  what  a  blessed  thing  life  may  be.  By  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  humanities  of  our  relations  to  man ; 


228  LIFE   A    CLOUD. 

by  efforts  to  promote  the  well  being  of  our  associates 
and  our  race ;  by  elevating  our  conceptions  of  what 
life  may  be,  and  the  strengthening  of  our  determina- 
tion to  follow  after  the  ideal,  we  can  rise  to  a  noble 
height  of  moral  existence,  as  the  vapors  lift  them- 
selves from  the  valleys  and  float  on  from  glory  to  glo- 
ry till  they  wait  in  state  around  the  setting  sun,  and 
retain  their  glory  when  the  moon  shows  where  their 
beauty  exists.  Happy  to-day  is  that  heart  that  can 
say,  "  Yes,  my  life  is  as  a  cloud,  but  it  is  a  cloud  that 
waits  on  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  shows  what 
that  Light  of  the  World  can  do  with  a  little  vapor." 
What  a  contrast  to  such  a  heart  is  the  memory  of  the 
unstable,  who  can  only  recall  St.  Jude's  metaphor, 
"  Clouds  are  they  without  water,  carried  about  of 
winds."  Clouds  that  mock  the  expectations  that  look 
to  them  for  something  refreshing  and  good. 

But  to  the  answer  that  the  Present  gives  when  we 
ask,  What  is  our  life  ?  What  do  we  wish  it  to  be  ? 
or,  in  other  words.  What  must  it  be  to  satisfy  us, 
when  the  recurrence  of  a  new  year,  or  other  provi- 
dential occasions,  shall  prompt  to  sober  reflection  on 
the  Past  —  to  the  summing  up  of  what  we  have  been 
and  are  as  moral  beings  ? 

The  answer  is  ancient  —  it  is  given  in  that  appeal 
which  the  prophet  made  to  the  consciences  of  his 
brethren,  when  he  said,  "  He  hath  showed  thee,  0 
man,  what  is  good  ;  and  what  doth  the  Lord  require 
of  thee  but  to  do  justly,  and  to  love  mercy,  and  to 
walk  humbly  with  thy  God."  These  are  the  great 
sentiments  of  true  life.  Our  nature  demands  them, 
and  our  nature   cannot  be  baflled.     They  are  your 


LIFE   A    CLOUD.  229 

life  —  they  are  my  life  ;  and  He  who  made  us  makes 
no  arbitrary  dsmand  in  this  requirement  for  Justice, 
Humanity  and  Humility,  for  they  are  the  laws  of  our 
moral  being  and  essential  to  the  highest  development 
of  life.  Without  them  man  is  a  stunted  being,  what- 
ever may  be  the  outward  appearance.  By  these  we 
render  to  every  man  what  is  justly  his  due  ;  we  add 
to  this  the  expression  of  generous  sympathy  and  hu- 
mane regard ;  and  we  boast  not  of  our  acts  because 
of  our  relations  to  God  as  the  Source  of  all  power  and 
ability. 

This  is  truly  our  life,  and  it  is  exhibited  in  the  at- 
tractive character  of  sacred  History,  and  especially  in 
the  Son  of  God.  There  is  a  sublime  sense  in  the 
language  of  Paul,  where  he  declares  that  our  "  Life 
is  hid  with  Christ  in  God,"  and  that  "  Christ  is  our 
Life."  Never  can  we  know  what  a  magnificent  thing 
human  life  can  become  till  we  become  like  Christ  in 
his  personal  relations,  and  obey  the  exhortation,"  Put 
ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  — throw  yourself  into 
his  spirit  and  method  of  life,  as  the  true  actor,  for  the 
time,  is  what  he  assumes  to  be — puts  on  the  charac- 
ter he  personates,  and  loses,  as  it  were,  his  own  per- 
sonality in  his  professional  effort.  To  put  on  Christ's 
purity  of  purpose,  his  enlarged  affections,  his  bound- 
less sympathy,  his  constant  recognition  of  the  Father, 
is  to  find  the  glory  of  life  —  to  see  heaven  a  reality — 
to  feel  the  presence  of  God,  and  to  know  that  immor- 
tality is  no  dream.  Existence  is  then  no  vapor,  but  a 
substantiality,  real  as  the  Providence  of  the  Almighty- 
God. 

20 


SERMON    XXIII. 


THE  HIDDEN  LIFE. 
And  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  i:n  God.— Col.  iii.  3. 

All  life  is  hidden.  No  scrutiny  can  detect  its 
hiding-place,  no  matter  with  what  skill  of  science  and 
acnteness  of  philosophy  it  may  be  sought.  It  is  here 
God's  glory  "to  conceal  a  matter,"  and  it  is  instruc- 
tive to  see  how  after  one  analysis  following  another, 
the  secret  is  still  as  far  as  ever  from  the  grasp.  One 
theory  after  another  is  invented  to  answer  the  query, 
What  is  life  ?  but  they  are  all  only  guesses  in  the 
dark,  and  we  end  as  we  began,  with  the  confession, 
"We  are  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made." 

So  also  is  this  true,  that  our  life  is  hidden,  when 
we  consider  the  means  of  its  support.  We  look  on 
the  fruits  of  the  earth  good  for  food,  but  though  we 
talk  wisely  of  the  properties  there  combined,  and  tell 
by  our  chemical  experiments  where  there  is  material 
for  bone  and  sinew,  flesh  and  nerve,  yet  often  are  our 
wisest  theories  baffled,  and  what  is  life  to  us  is  poison 


THE   HIDDEN   LIFE.  231 

to  some  other,  and  what  to  that  other  seems  to  threat- 
en death,  really  imparts  strength  and  energy. 

So,  too,  our  intellectual  life  is  hidden.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  impress  on  the  mind  of  the  child  the  real  good 
of  his  initiatory  studies,  and  he  receives  with  some- 
thing of  incredulity  all  you  may  say  concerning  this 
and  that  study  helping  the  mind  to  grow.  The  best 
teachers,  the  best  aids  afford  him  no  mental  life,  only 
as  his  individual  aptitude  to  receive  is  touched  and 
quickened  into  activity.  Hence  it  is  that  we  marvel 
what  our  children  will  be  —  to  what  sphere  of  indus- 
try they  will  yield  themselves.  So  completely  is  their 
life  hidden  ;  so  secret  is  the  growth  of  tendencies  and 
biases,  that  we  can  only  carefully  experiment  and 
pray.  The  martyrdom  that  often  waits  on  infant 
genius,  the  waste  of  wrongly  directed  powers,  the 
unsuitableness  of  educational  agencies,  and  the  eccen- 
tricities of  the  gifted  struggling  to  get  out  of  the 
coils  of  circumstance  and  the  despotism  of  blinded 
friends,  all  arise  from  the  fact  that  life  there  is  hid- 
den. So  everywhere,  in  the  still  twilight  and  in  the 
awful  hushed  hour  of  midnight,  how  many  mourn 
and  weep  because  they  know  not  what  they  were 
made  for ;  and  they  pray  for  some  heavenly  intima- 
tion to  decide  for  them  where  they  shall  direct  their 
ambition  ;  while  others,  in  desperate  impatience,  imi- 
tate the  mountain  torrent  and  make  a  path  ;  but,  like 
the  torrent,  it  is  too  often  a  course  downward. 

And  just  so  it  is  with  moral  life  —  that  is  hidden. 
How  strange  it  is  that  in  this  and  that  trial  there  can 
be  any  life ;  that  the  tread  of  the  martyr,  mastering 


232  THE    HIDDEN   LIFE. 

adverse  circumstances,  can  be  like  the  treading  in 
the  wine-press,  and  that  even  the  Son  of  God  was 
made  perfect  by  suffering.  It  is  this  that  startles  the 
sensual  when  the  great  facts  of  the  Bible  are  pressed 
with  their  lessons  of  discipline  upon  his  attention. 
To  him  it  is  absurd  that  any  one  should  say,  "When 
I  am  weak,  then  am  I  strong,"  and  that  to  lose  life 
for  the  sake  of  the  Redeemer  is  really  to  find  it. 
Hence  our  Master  compared  heavenly  truth  to  trea- 
sure hid  in  a  field ;  to  pearls  sought  for  afar  ;  to  grain 
that  grew  up  night  and  day,  no  man  knew  how ;  and 
to  leaven  penetrating  steadily,  till  it  touched  and 
brought  into  affinity  with  itself  every  particle  of  the 
whole  body  of  meal.  On  the  same  plane  of  thought 
the  Apostle  wrote,  "And  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ 
in  God."  He  meant  their  whole  life  —  the  best  use 
of  any  and  every  thing,  so  that  nothing  could  be  done 
so  well,  or  enjoyed  so  thoroughly  outside  of  loyalty 
to  Christ  as  in  unity  with  him. 

Yes,  Christ  came  to  touch  man  as  though  he  were 
really  dead  ;  to  give  new  energy  and  higher  functions 
to  all  his  powers  ;  to  anoint  the  eye  to  a  better  view 
and  appreciation  of  nature,  so  that  the  skies  should 
beam  with  the  sunshine  of  a  parental  Providence,  the 
rain  glitter  with  his  munificence,  and  ring  the  music 
of  his  impartial  love,  while  the  birds  as  they  flew  and 
the  flowers  as  they  bloomed  should  teach  a  lesson  of 
trust  and  inspire  a  confidence  which  should  give  the 
anxious  spirit  repose.  "I  came,"  said  the  divine 
Teacher,  "that  ye  might  have  life,  and  that  ye  might 
have  it  more  abmidantly."     0,  little  do  we  compre- 


THE    HIDDEN   LIFE.  233 

hend  what  life  the  Gospel  can  yet  impart ;  what  new 
phases  of  beauty  it  may  assume  ;  what  added  interest 
it  may  give  to  our  commonest  life,  and  how  from  its 
truths,  as  from  the  stars  when  Newton  had  taught,  a 
diviner  meaning  may  come  to  our  souls,  freshening 
old  things,  as  a  new  love  lights  new  beauty  in  the 
human  face.  Indeed  it  was  well  that  the  Apostle 
wrote  of  the  "unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,"  and 
that  in  him  are  "hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge."  Unsearchable  are  these  riches  in  ex- 
tent ;  inexhaustible  in  their  fulness,  yet  are  they  to 
be  received  as  the  mine  yields  its  gold,  though  its 
veins  reach  down  to  the  central  fires  of  the  globe. 

In  bringing  home  this  subject  let  us  remember,  in 
the  first  place,  that  what  Christ  has  for  us  is  like 
everything  in  nature — it  is  hid  in  God.  From  the 
Creator's  fulness  comes  every  good  and  perfect  gift, 
and  our  text,  while  it  exalts  Christ,  keeps  the  Unity  of 
God  a  sacred  thing.  That  life  that  is  hidden  icUh 
Christ  is  in  God.  There  is  no  life  which  Jesus  has 
for  us,  or  for  any  soul,  which  himself  has  created  or 
fashioned.  Whatever  is  luith  him  is  in  God  as  its 
source  and  centre,  and  he  said  wisely,  "  Of  mine  own  " 
isolated  "  self  I  can  do  nothing."  It  is  all  wrong, 
therefore,  to  make  God  terrific  and  Jesus  attractive, 
as  though  he  stood  apart  from  the  Deity  and  operated 
in  behalf  of  man,  instead  of  being  enfolded  in  God,  and 
being,  as  he  really  was  and  is  the  express  Image  of 
God.  He  revealed  the  Divine  on  the  scale  of  human- 
ity, and  it  is  fatal  to  the  serenest  peace  for  a  soul  to 
lose  sight  of  the  great  truth,  that  Jesus  did  all  he  did 
20* 


234  THE   HIDDEN   LIFE. 

do  to  express  or  reveal  God.  To  deify  second  causes 
in  nature  —  to  attribute  to  laws  as  though  possessed 
of  inherent  forces  what  should  be  attributed  only  to 
the  potential  will  of  God,  is  not  more  out  of  the  way 
than  to  deify  Jesus.  God  is  no  more  removed  from, 
us  in  once  case  than  in  the  other ;  but  the  Scriptures 
bring  him  near  in  nature  and  Christ.  His  is  the  air 
and  the  earth,  the  sea  and  the  winds  that  lift  the 
waters,  and  his  are  all  the  phenomena  of  the  shifting 
seasons  and  the  wonders  of  the  skies.  So  of  the 
world  of  truth  and  glory  in  Christ.  ''  All  things  are 
of  God  "  —  Christ  is  "of  God  made  unto  us  wisdom 
and  righteousness,  sanctification  and  redemption." 
And  how  magnificently  Paul  piles  up  the  grand  cli- 
max of  his  description  of  the  inexhaustible  wealth  of 
the  Christian,  —  "  Therefore  let  no  man  glory  in  men  ; 
for  all  things  are  yours,  whether  Paul  or  Appollos,  or 
Cephas,  or  the  world,  or  life,  or  death,  or  things  pre- 
sent or  things  to  come,  —  all  are  yours,  and  ye  are 
Christ's  and  Christ  is  God's."  Our  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God  —  to  Christ  must  we  go  as  the  only 
medium  of  communication  ;  and  however  the  world's 
great  ones  may  win  our  admiration,  it  is  enough  that 
they  all  combined  cannot  give  what  Jesus  can  bestow. 
We  must  kneel  and  drink  at  the  one  fountain  which 
God  hath  unsealed. 

But  again  :  What  God  hath  hidden  in  Christ  as  our 
life  is  worth  our  searching.  All  the  labor  requisite  to 
obtain  any  of  God's  hidden  blessings  is  amply  repaid 
by  the  possession  of  the  treasure.  In  strange  places 
and  with  strange  beings  God  hath  sometimes  hidden 


THE   HIDDEN   LIFE.  235 

what  proved  to  be  our  life  —  the  life  of  hope,  of  ex- 
pectation, of  new  effort  and  ambition  ;  and  it  is  a 
great  thing  to  have  pointed  out  to  us  precisely  where 
the  best  thing  to  give  meaning  and  glory  to  life  can 
be  found  ;  and  how  grateful  should  we  be  that  we  find 
a  grand  stimulant  to  perform  the  appropriate  labor  in 
the  attractiveness  of  Christ,  —  Bread  and  Water  of 
Life,  —  Morning  Star  and  Light  of  the  World,  — 
Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls,  —  the  Vine,  the  Trea- 
sure, —  the  Way,  the  Door,  the  everything  that  can 
induce  the  soul  to  put  forth  its  activity  to  find  the  best 
life. 

But,  last  of  all,  how  shall  we  get  at  the  desired 
good  ?  Not  to  priest  or  church,  this  form  or  that 
sacrament  must  we  go  as  essential  to  our  purpose. 
No  ;  a  personal  alliance  with  Christ  is  the  thing  need- 
ed, as  we  draw  out  the  real  wealth  of  the  heart  of  a 
friend,  not  by  the  use  of  intermediate  persons,  but  by 
personal  communion  of  soul  with  soul.  Come  to  him 
as  he  makes  himself  felt  in  the  immortal  pages  of  the 
Gospels,  and  open  your  soul  to  him  as  you  open  your 
window  for  the  fresh  morning  air,  —  not  one  morning 
for  all,  but  every  morning  when  the  air  is  pure  and 
life  is  needed  for  the  atmosphere  within.  A  traveller, 
describing  a  visit  to  Matanzas,  speaks  of  the  mighty 
power  of  the  air  there,  saying,  —  "The  atmosphere 
here  has  a  kind  of  vitalizing  life,  which  is  a  perpetual 
marvel  to  me  and  a  perpetual  delight.  It  surrounds 
you,  goes  through  you,  as  it  were,  bathes  you  in  an 
atmosphere  of  regenerating  life.  It  whispers  to  me 
wonderful  emotions  and  anticipations  of  the  Creator's 


236  THE    HIDDEN   LIFE. 

wealth  —  of  those  hidden  glories  which  no  eye  hath 
seen,  and  no  ear  heard,  nor  hath  it  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man  to  conceive."  Such  is  but  a  faint  simi- 
litude of  the  influence  on  the  reverent  Christian  when 
entering  the  atmosphere  of  Christ's  presence.  It  is  a 
new  life  —  it  inspirits  every  faculty  and  affection,  and 
however  the  heart  may  lift  its  thanks  for  the  gifts  of 
Divine  goodness  in  Nature  and  Providence,  its  deep- 
est gratitude  will  be  for  the  life  hid  with  Christ  in 
God. 


SERMON    XXIY 


THE  GREAT  CITY. 

"Walk  about  Zion  and  go  around  about  her;  tell  the  towers 
THEREOF.  Mark  tou  well  her  bulwarks,  consider  her  palacks; 
that  ye  may  tell  it  to  the  generation  following.— Fs.  xlviii.  12  13. 

It  is  a  great  privilege  to  walk  about  a  great  city, 
to  mark  the  details  of  its  greatness,  to  consider  its 
chief  points  of  attraction,  and  then  go  to  some  emi- 
nence that  overlooks  the  whole,  to  take  in  the  gorgeous 
and  animated  scene.  It  is  the  grandest  sight  on  earth  ; 
for  there  is  the  same  bending  heaven  that  the  country- 
knows,  and  the  same  sunshine  and  moonlight  fall  on 
palace  and  town  as  on  tree  or  stream,  while  the  con- 
gregated life  is  so  immense,  the  multiform  ambition  is 
so  intense,  the  variety  of  talent  and  genius  is  so  great, 
that  we  are  awed  as  no  rural  scene  can  affect  the 
soul.  For  devotional  purposes,  for  the  quietude  of 
meditation,  it  may  be  that  to  walk  amid  the  forc^.t 
groves  and  upon  the  hills  of  the  country  is  best ; 
thougii  with  myself  it  is  not  so,  for  to  be  lifted  to 
some  high  eminence  from  whence  the  varied  life  of 


238  THE   GREAT    CITY. 

the  city  can  be  seen,  best  in  my  heart  moves  the 
spirit  of  prayer ;  yet  however  this  may  seem  to  others 
it  must  be  allowed  that  if  a  man  desires  to  feel  the 
ties  that  bind  him  to  his  race  —  to  have  sympathy  for 
all  the  variety  of  human  character  —  to  know  the 
energy  that  lies  behind  the  best  achievements  for  the 
race,  he  must  walk  not  only  round  about  a  great  city, 
but,  as  Paul  in  Athens,  thread  its  streets,  enter  amid 
its  intimate  life,  and  see  the  play  of  the  stupendous 
forces  of  mind  and  heart  at  work  in  this  great  centre 
of  human  activity.  The  city  has  a  portion  of  the  same 
earth  as  the  country  ;  a  like  humanity  are  here,  and 
here  is  felt  a  similarity  of  aims  ;  but  the  peculiarity 
of  the  city  comes  of  its  numbers  ;  the  limit  of  space 
in  which  they  live  and  operate ;  the  combinations  of 
art,  wealth  and  strength  which  are  thereby  facilitated  ; 
the  competitions  w^liich  necessarily  spring  up  amid  the 
contending  interests  of  the  multitude,  and  the  excite- 
ments w^hich  always  attend  on  the  presence  and 
activity  of  great  numbers.  Cities  are  prominent  way- 
marks  in  human  history.  With  them  began  the  dis- 
tribution of  rights  from  the  few  to  the  many ;  and 
isolated  humanity,  breathing  the  atmosphere  of  the 
hills  and  growing  strong  for  liberty  amid  the  pursuits 
of  rural  life,  has  found  more  of  stimulus  from  the 
rumors  of  what  cities  were  doing  than  has  yet  been 
acknowledged.  Cincinnatus  at  his  plough  had  his 
patriotism  fed  by  voices  from  the  city.  Cities  show 
us  the  most  of  man  ;  they  exhibit  what  life  can  be 
made  ;  they  fortify  genius  so  that  its  power  runs  not 
to  waste  ;  and  out  of  the  struggles  of  commerce,  the 


THE  GREAT   CITY.  239 

breadth  of  view  concerning  human  relations  to  which 
commerce  leads,  has  sprung  the  best  thought  of  what 
is  due  from  man  to  man.     When  Henry  the  First, — 
called  •'  The  City  Builder,"  gave   to  cities  peculiar 
privileges  to  induce  his  people  to  congregate,  unwit- 
tingly he  laid  the  grand  basis  of  opposition  to  the 
Feudal  system,  and  the  legal  foundation  of  popular 
rights.     The  people  imited  to  ward  off  the  attacks  of 
the  lords  or  barons ;  union  gave  strength  ;  the  limit 
of  locality  made  them  develop  their  resources ;  com- 
merce, art  and  wealth  increased  within  their  walls  ; 
energy   grew   and   multiplied ;    the    people    became 
wealthy,   respectable,   educated   and  refined  ;  better 
laws  and  institutions  were  desired  ;  and  thus  the  prin- 
ciple of  human  rights,  leading  to  political  equality, 
was  gradually  developed.     A  great  problem  in  the 
history   of    monarchies   has    always   been,   how   the 
growth  of  cities,  essential  to  the  greatness  of  a  king- 
dom, could  be  encouraged  without  endangering  the 
power  of  the  Throne  ;  and  never  has  the  influence  of 
cities  in  forwarding  the  progress  of  liberty  and  civili- 
zation been  sufficiently  acknowledged.     Men  always 
are  more  fearful  than  hopeful  in  reference  to  any  great 
aggregate   of  power,   and   hence   it  has   been   more 
difficult  to  obtain  for  cities  the  honor  due  them,  than 
the  censure  they  merited ;  but  in  proportion  as  the 
true  relations  of  the  city  to  the  State  have  been  under- 
stood, there  has  been  a  nobler  breadth  of  Legislation 
and  a  more  rapid  advancement  of  human  progress  in 
all  departments  of  Art  and  Commerce,  Education  and 
Religion. 


240  THE   GREAT   CITY. 

One  thing  is  certain  and  that  is,  In  the  Bible  there 
is  no  grander  figure  employed  in  setting  forth  pro- 
phecies of  Almighty  Grace  than  that  of  a  great  city  ; 
and  it  is  remarkable  that  when  the  most  magnificent 
vision  of  the  coming  in  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ,  in 
its  full  glory,  was  given  to  St.  John,  the  symbolry 
presented  to  his  rapt  imagination  was  that  of  a  great 
city :  "  And  I,  John  saw  the  holy  city,  new  Jerusa- 
lem, coming  down  from  God  out  of  Heaven,  prepared 
as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband  "  — i.  e.  after  the 
manner  of  the  orientals,  with  whom  the  bridal  cos- 
tume was  varied  and  gorgeous  in  the  extreme.  So 
also  spake  the  writer  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
in  treating  of  the  difference  between  Judaism  and 
Christianity ;  he  went  to  Mount  Sinai  in  the  wilder- 
ness for  the  image  of  Judaism,  but  to  Mount  Zion,  in 
Jerusalem,  for  a  symbol  of  Christianity,  styling  it, 
"  The  city  of  the  living  God,"  Heb.  xii.  22.  And 
there  is  nothing  more  sublime  in  the  Scriptures  than 
the  picture  given  of  the  offices  and  tendencies  of 
Christianity  in  the  description,  by  the  Revelator,  of 
the  New  Jerusalem,  where,  a?  though  his  mind  was 
directed  to  the  Mount  of  Olives  overlooking  ancient 
Jerusalem  in  its  glory,  he  says :  ''  And  there  came 
unto  me  one  of  the  seven  angels,  and  he  carried  me 
away  in  the  spirit  to  a  great  and  high  mountain,  and 
showed  me  that  great  city,  the  new  Jerusalem,  de- 
scending out  of  Heaven  from  God,  having  the  glory  of 
God,  and  her  light  was  like  unto  a  stone  most  prcciou.s, 
ever  like  a  Jasper-stone,  clear  as  crystal."  He  then 
speaks  of  the  walls  and  gates,  the  angels  at  the  gates, 


THE   GREAT    CITY.  241 

the  foundations  and  breadth  and  length  of  the  city  — 
the  walls  being  transparent  as  a  Jasper-stone,  the 
streets  gold,  like  pure  glass  for  purity ;  the  founda- 
tions being  of  precious  stones,  the  gates  of  pearl ;  and 
therein,  in  that  great  and  magnificent  city,  God  was 
the  light,  the  gates  were  ne^er  to  be  shut,  the  nations 
were  to  walk  in  its  light,  and  kings  were  to  bring  their 
glory  and  honor  to  it,  while  nothing  that  in  any  wise 
dehleth,  or  that  worketh  abomination,  or  that  maketh 
a  lie,  was  to  enter  into  it.  Moreover,  flowing  from  the 
throne  of  God,  was  a  river  of  the  water  of  life,  cours- 
ing through  the  mystical  city,  while  on  its  banks  stood 
trees  of  life  bearing  twelve  different  kinds  of  fruit, 
one  for  every  month,  and  the  leaves  of  the  trees  were 
for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  And  there  no  more 
curse  was  to  be  found.  God  and  the  Lamb  alone  had 
thrones  therein  ;  and  all  service  was  to  be  rendered  to 
God,  in  intimate  and  blessed  communion,  where  there 
should  be  no  more  night  —  night  with  its  darkness 
and  tears,  its  mysteries  and  pains,  its  solitude  and 
agonies  ;  but  Day  such  as  dawns  and  broadens  on  the 
soul  when  it  is  at  peace  with  God  and  its  life  is  loyalty 
unbroken. 

Here  is  the  great  city  around  which,  and  within 
which,  we  should  walk,  noting  its  moral  towers,  bul- 
warks and  palaces ;  and  then  going  to  some  high 
mountain  of  the  old  religions  or  philosophies,  or 
theorizings,  and  asking  ourselves.  Did  ever  man's 
imagination  go  beyond  this  gorgeous  picture  of  a 
great  city  in  setting  forth  the  future  of  our  race  ?  If 
for  the  grandest  prophecy  a  city  was  chosen  as  imag- 
21 


242  THE   GREAT   CITY. 

ery,  then  a  hard  problem  is  answered,  and  a  great 
city  may  become  a  grand  centre  of  Christian  civiliza- 
tion —  a  focus  to  whicli  all  light  may  be  drawn,  and 
a  radiator  of  the  illumination  of  the  world. 

But  let  us  mark  the  difference  between  ancient  and 
Christian  defences  for  great  cities.  Towers  and  bul- 
warks, high  walls  and  fortified  castles,  were  the  defen- 
ces of  old  ;  to  walk  about  an  ancient  city  was  to  mark 
these  things  ;  and  the  great  story  that  was  carried 
down  from  one  generation  to  another  was  of  huge 
walls  and  mighty  gates  —  stories  which  we  can  hardly 
believe  as  we  see  the  variety  of  these  defences  in  the 
presence  of  modern  arts  of  destruction.  Then  cities 
had  to  be  set  upon  a  hill,  that  no  mountain  might 
give  the  archers  of  the  enemy  a  position  of  assault ; 
or  they  must  be  reared,  like  Babylon  and  Palmyra,  in 
the  midst  of  a  vast  plain.  But  not  so  now.  He  who 
now  walks  about  a  great  city  to  note  its  strength, 
its  defences,  its  promises  of  superior  greatness, 
does  not  mark  down  upon  his  map  of  survey,  walls, 
towers,  bulwarks,  palaces ;  for  he  looks  into  the 
character  of  homes,  the  intelligence  and  virtue  of 
families,  and  he  counts  up  schools  and  institutions  of 
learning,  benevolence,  religion.  Undazzled  by  all  the 
glitter  and  show  of  wealth,  unimpressed  by  the  stately 
palaces,  unmoved  by  the  boasts  of  Trade  and  Com- 
merce, and  disregarding  the  growth  of  material  pros- 
perity that  makes  the  grand  exhibition  of  thronged 
streets  and  crowded  marts,  —  the  river  dotted  with 
the  white  sails,  amid  which  the  floating  vapor  from 
the  steam  craft  rises  as  incense,  sending  the  thoughts 


THE   GREAT    CITY.  243 

out  to  sea  and  to  the  infinite,  unimpressed,  in  his  deep- 
est nature,  by  all  this,  his  great  question  is,  How  true 
is  it  that  God  and  the  Lamb  have  their  thrones  and 
servants  here  ?  Hoiv  mvch  is  God  the  light  of  this 
city  ?  How  much  of  all  this  glory  is  as  the  costume 
of  this  oriental  bride  adorned  for  her  hvisband,  as  we 
think  of  the  city  wedded  to  Christ  ? 

These  are  the  great  questions  for  this  day  ;  and 
there  never  was  a  time  when  there  was  more  to 
favor  the  obtaining  of  a  calm,  comprehensive  and 
accurate  answer  than  is  given  in  the  present.  We 
cannot  fail  to  see  that  old  party  lines  are  passing  away, 
like  the  crumbling  walls  of  ancient  cities ;  and  in 
vain  will  political  intrigue  attempt,  on  any  side,  to 
keep  alive  what  has  died  out  of  the  heart.  And  it  is 
a  most  remarkable  thing  that  in  England  as  in  this 
country,  and  in  the  measures  of  Churches  as  well  as 
in  the  methods  of  States  in  both  countries,  the  old 
distinctions  of  parties,  of  clans  are  melting  away,  and 
we  have  now  a  better  opportunity  than  man  has  ever 
known  to  look  on  all  sides  of  all  great  social  questions. 
The  era  of  the  People  has  most  truly  come.  At  least, 
it  is  dawning  brightly.  The  power  behind  the  Throne 
or  the  Chair  is  no  longer  the  ruling  forces,  but  the 
power  that  is  held  by  the  People,  who,  in  all  depart- 
ments of  the  Church  and  the  State,  in  all  parties 
whether  considered  by  themselves  or  in  their  relations 
to  each  other,  are  looking  for  what  promises  the 
broadest  comprehension  of  great,  permanent,  human, 
Christian  interests.  What  is  wanted  is  something  too 
good  to  bear  any  party  name,  because  truly  American. 


244  THE   GREAT    CITY. 

What  a  great  city,  like  our  consolidated  city,  should 
be,  is  not  to  be  worked  out  by  regard  to  any  party 
ideal,  whatever  its  name.  It  would  be  as  wrong  to 
think  of  making  any  party  ideal  the  great  model  as  to 
speak  of  Washington  as  a  southern  or  a  northern  man. 
He  had  a  gorious  soul  that  went  for  a  fluent  consoli- 
dation of  the  interests  of  the  common  country ;  and 
his  ambition,  like  the  flight  of  the  eagle,  made  it  as 
easy  for  him  to  look  over  the  Blue  Ridge  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies  and  stretch  his  vision  to  the  White  Mountains 
where  the  beams  of  the  rising  sun  glittered  on  the 
crest  of  Katahdin,  as  to  look  over  the  rose  bush  in 
front  of  his  Mount  Vernon  Mansion  to  the  avenue 
beyond.  To  see  the  true  interests  of  a  mighty  people 
all  consolidated  by  an  American  system,  an  American 
spirit,  an  American  energy,  was  the  dearest  wish  of 
his  soul.  Happy  that  city  which  can  best  invoke  his 
august  presence. 

But  there  is  another  name  which  we  can  summon 
to  our  aid  to  present  the  best  ideal,  to  realize  which 
should  be  the  zeal  of  every  citizen  —  that  name  is 
Penn.  Singularly  fortunate  is  the  Philadelphian ! 
Few  cities  have  the  name  of  their  founder  so  com- 
pletely identified  with  them  as  the  city  of  Penn  ;  few 
cities  have  so  worthy  a  founder  to  remember ;  and  if 
ever  narrowness  shall  need  a  rebuke, — public  spirit  a 
stimulus,  —  regard  for  order  and  laAV  an  example, — 
devotion  to  education,  morality,  economy,  tolerance 
and  religion  a  leader,  we  have  only  to  evoke  the 
shade  of  Penn,  and  we  have  all  we  need  in  that  first 
instance  of  a  man  of  commanding  influence  acting  up 


THE   GREAT    CITY.  245 

to  the  full  measure  of  Christian  requirement.  He  set 
up  the  splendid  thought  as  the  leading  principle  of 
public  economy,  That  all  human  interests  are  inter- 
linked, and  no  man  can  serve  his  own  interests  with- 
out serving  the  interests  of  others.  Even  the  Savage 
was  to  be  won  by  the  Justice  of  Love.  And  a  Boston 
Ecviewer  has  well  said,  "  It  was  remarkable  that  such 
a  person  should  come  from  the  halls  of  a  slavish  court 
and  under  the  authority  of  an  arbitrary  king,  and  es- 
tablish a  State,  with  the  single-hearted  ambition  to 
*  show  men  as  free  and  happy  as  they  could  be,'  as  an 
example  to  the  rest  of  the  world."  And  we  may  add, 
that  the  more  men  progress  in  the  attainment  of  the 
Christian  spirit,  the  more  will  Penn  be  honored,  that 
at  such  an  age  he  could  lay  out  a  great  city  with  so 
laudable  an  ambition ;  and,  as  though  inviting  the 
scrutiny  of  the  world,  and  caring  little  for  its  laugh, 
he  styled  his  great  ideal,  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love. 
However  much  any  age  has  come  short  of  realizing 
the  meaning  of  that  name  in  the  character  of  the 
City,  tliat  name  has  stood  as  a  beautiful  ideal,  it  has 
been  a  rebuke  of  selfishness  and  lawlessness,  an  inspi- 
ration to  better  effort,  and  an  exaltation  of  the  Chris- 
tian standard  as  applicable  to  cities  as  individuals. 

A  new  meaning  gushes  up  in  the  heart  of  that 
beautiful  name  by  the  Consolidation  under  which  the 
Election  has  recently  taken  place.  With  victory  or 
defeat  I  have  nothing  to  do  ;  but  is  it  possible  to  dif- 
fuse a  brotherly  spirit  through  the  more  than  half  a 
million'  of  population  now  one  city  ?  It  is  a  stupen- 
dous thought.  That  possibility  made  real  would  ren- 
21* 


246  THE  GREAT   CITY. 

der  this  city  the  glory  of  the  whole  earth.  God  would 
indeed  be  its  light.  The  thrones  of  God  and  the 
Lamb  would  be  the  only  thrones  here.  Wisdom 
would  not  "  cry  at  the  entry  of  the  city,"  as  the  Wise 
Man  represents  her,  for  she  would  walk  our  streets, 
she  would  move,  with  unstained  robes  and  benignant 
smile,  and  with  a  Sabbath  sanctity  and  joy,  into  our 
homes,  and  where  labor  lift  its  strong  arm  and  em- 
ploys its  clear  and  cultured  brain,  and  where  trade 
and  commerce  lead  on  the  forces  of  enterprise  and 
communion  with  the  world.  Then  we  might,  with 
exulting  hearts,  invite  the  stranger  to  walk  about  Zi- 
on  and  behold  her  defences  —  defences  as  impregna- 
ble as  heaven  itself,  and  means  for  the  best  culture  of 
all  her  children.  To  secure  this,  we  must,  first  of 
all,  exalt  Law  as  the  guardian  of  Liberty,  making  the 
the  least  ordinance  to  be  as  important  as  what  is 
deemed  the  greatest.  What  is  Law  should  be  applied ; 
its  application  shows  its  character  and  how  the  people 
regard  it,  and  whether  they  will  sustain  or  repeal  it. 

Public  Spirit  must  come  next  —  a  lively  interest  in 
public  affairs,  in  the  character  of  the  Press,  in  the 
character,  reputation  and  measures  of  public  men,  in 
the  maintenance  of  law,  the  promotion  of  the  inter- 
ests of  whatever  portion  of  the  city  may  be  most  re- 
mote from  our  own. 

Then  Education,  and  especially  by  Free  Schools,  will 
have  our  determined,  generous  and  faithful  advocacy 
and  help.  It  has  been  well  said,  That  "  a  man  who 
cannot  read  is  a  being  not  contemplated  by  the  ge- 
nius of  the  American  Constitution  ;  "  and  if  so,  I  ask, 


THE  GREAT   CITY.  247 

what  question  touching  the  exercise  of  suffrage  and 
its  extension  to  all,  is  more  legitimate  than  whether 
any  man  should  haye  a  right  to  vote  till  he  knows 
how  to  read  ?  I  am  screwed  up  to  the  negative  an- 
swer, A  man  ignorant  of  the  art  of  reading,  if  in- 
troduced to  the  exercise  of  suffrage,  is  a  man  brought 
into  connection  with  the  stupendous  and  all-ruling 
power  of  voting  not  contemplated  by  the  genius  of 
our  common  country  —  the  grandeur  of  the  Ameri- 
can system.  Whatever  makes  light  of  the  benefits  of 
free  schools  is  opposed  to  the  genius  of  the  American 
Constitution,  and  is  to  be  warred  agsinst  by  all  the 
force  of  an  intelligent  and  Republican  Will.  The 
Common  School  is  the  Almighty's  Jasper-stone 
through  which  streams  his  glory  in  the  light  of  Edu- 
cation on  the  common  mind,  securing  sunshine,  beau- 
tiful and  genial,  where  otherwise  there  might  be 
darkness.  Into  this  Light  let  the  people  be  baptized 
in  childhood,  whatever  may  be  the  fate  of  any  Church 
ba|)tism. 

And  next  comes  Mercantile  Integrity,  which  be- 
longs to  the  shop  and  the  manufactory,  as  well  as  to 
the  merchant's  counting  room.  By  this  has  our  city 
been  honored  in  the  past,  and  by  this  we  can  appeal  with 
the  best  hopes  to  the  judgment  of  men.  Demosthe- 
nes, when  speaking  of  the  degeneracy  of  Athens,  re- 
called what  some  might  say,  "  Is  not  the  city  enlarged  ? 
Are  not  the  streets  better  paved,  houses  repaired  and 
beautified  ?  Away  with  such  trifles  !  "  said  he.  "  Are 
these  acquisitions  to  boast  of  ?  "  and  he  showed  they 
were  not  while  despicable  men  had  influence,  and 


248  THE   GREAT    CITY. 

asked  he,  "  Have  not  some  of  the  upstarts  built  pri- 
vate houses  and  seats,  vying  with  the  most  sumptu- 
ous of  our  public  palaces  ?  "  This  was  a  pungent 
question,  and  so  long  as  it  is  pertinent  in  the  affairs 
of  men,  we  can  never  make  splendid  palaces  and  com- 
mercial energy  and  prosperity  our  boast,  only  as  we 
find  integrity  expressed.  With  this^  Prosperity  is  a 
noble  stimulus. 

And  last  of  all,  and  the  crown  of  all,  comes  Relig- 
ion, expressed  by  our  Church  Edifices,  the  ceremoni- 
als of  the  Bridal  and  the  Burial,  and  the  sanctity  and 
sober  joy  of  the  Sabbath.  Without  Religion  morali- 
ty perishes.  Man  must  know  his  God  ere  he  will 
know  the  strength  of  the  moral  obhgations  that  bind 
man  most  sacredly  to  man.  No  interest  of  the  City 
can  be  secured  by  deserting  the  Church  or  profaning 
the  Sabbath.  Religion  is  the  patron  of  all  good.  Her 
restraints  and  encouragements  are  the  best.  She 
comes  in  the  holiest  look  of  the  mother  as  she  bends 
over  her  babe.  She  consecrates  the  child  to  God,  that 
daily  duty  towards  it  may  be  more  and  better  felt. 
She  invokes  a  blessing  in  the  School,  and  sanctifies 
Education  as  the  process  of  unfolding  the  mind,  as 
the  sun  opens  the  flower,  ripens  the  fruit,  gives  the 
seasons  of  the  year.  She  comes  to  the  workshop  and 
to  the  lad  at  his  apprenticeship  everywhere,  telling 
him  labor  is  a  great  ordinance  of  God  and  that  young 
Jesus  was  a  laborer,  and  bids  him  aim  to  do  well  his 
task  as  a  part  of  religious  duty,  assuring  him  that  all 
effort  for  improvement  has  its  relation  to  the  moral 
culture  and  condition  and  prospects  of  the  soul.    She 


THE  GREAT   CITY.  249 

goes  on,  a  diffusive  presence  everywhere,  till  the  man 
is  made  to  feel  in  every  department  of  domestic,  so- 
cial and  business  life,  as  he  thinks  of  God,  — 

"  All  may  of  Thee  partake  : 
Nothing  so  small  can  be, 
But  draws,  when  acted  for  thy  sake, 
Greatness  and  worth  from  Thee. 
If  done  beneath  Thy  laws, 
E'en  servile  labors  shine  ; 
Hallowed  is  toil,  if  this  the  Cause, 
The  humblest  work  divine." 

Join  the  elements  of  duty  thus  presented,  and  we 
may  be  able  to  speak  in  Scripture  language,  with 
more  than  its  original  meaning,  of  '*  the  crowning 
City,  whose  merchants  are  princes,  and  whose  traf- 
fickers are  the  honorable  of  the  earth."  The  city 
will  be  great.  To  walk  round  about  her  will  be  to 
walk  about  Zion,  and  to  find  something  worthy  of  tell- 
ing to  the  generations  springing  up  around  us.  God 
will  be  known  in  her  palaces  for  a  refuge. 


SERMON     XXY. 


PRESENT  PRIVILEGES   OF  THE  CHRISTIAN. 
Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither   have  entered  into 

THE  heart  of  man,   THE  THINGS    AVHICH    (;iOD    HATH    PREPARED    FOR 
THEM   THAT   LOVE  HIM. — 1   Cor.   ii.   9. 

I  count  it  a  misfortune  for  any  one  to  postpone  a 
happiness  that  belongs  as  much  to  the  present  as  to 
the  future.  Especially  is  this  lamentable  when  the 
present  enjoyment  would  give  vividness  and  reality 
to  expectation.  And  still  greater  becomes  the  sad- 
ness when  the  happiness  involved  is  of  the  purest  and 
noblest  quality,  addressing  itself  to  our  spiritual  fac- 
ulties, and  designed  to  interest  us  most  powerfully  in 
the  great  duties  of  religion.  Such  is  the  condition 
of  those  who  pervert  our  text  by  regarding  it  as  re- 
ferring to  the  future  life,  and  not  to  the  privileges  of 
the  Christian  in  the  present  state.  As  a  consequence 
they  look  beyond  the  grave  for  what  might  be  found 
in  their  daily  paths  ;  they  have  indistinct  and  dreamy 
ideas  of  what  heavenly  happiness  is  because  they 
make  it  a  thing  so  foreign  from  the  joys  of  common 


PRESENT  PRIVILEGES  OF  THE   CHRISTIAN.  251 

life ;  and  hence  the  loss  of  to-day  runs  through  the 
years  of  mortality,  as  they  have  far  less  of  Christian 
experience  to  draw  upon  than  they  might  have  trea- 
sured up. 

But  to  many  a  reader  and  hearer  the  text  will  seem 
manifestly  to  refer  to  eternity,  ''for,"  say  they,  "it 
speaks  of  what  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nei- 
ther hath  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive  ; 
and  what  can  this  mean,  if  it  does  not  mean  such  a 
reference  ?" 

I  answer,  there  is  nothing  in  this  language  that 
makes  any  such  reference  necessary,  for  it  may  be  ap- 
plied to  the  reverent  student  in  any  department  of 
research  and  study.  To  him  who  goes  forth  to  study 
nature  as  God's  thoughts  fashioned  and  organized 
into  realms  of  wonder  and  beauty,  there  are  always 
surprises  of  which  he  never  dreamed,  new  beauties  in 
common  things,  new  grandeur  in  the  simplest  forces, 
and  new  sublimities  in  the  vast  workings  of  familiar 
elements. 

Hence  what  an  enchantment  there  is  in  the  pur- 
suits of  the  naturalist :  the  eye  won  by  novel  sights, 
the  ear  by  new  sounds,  the  imagination  quickened  by 
new  wonders  leading  expectation  on  with  wakeful 
curiosity.  And  nothing  is  more  plainly  an  argument 
of  the  power  of  Christianity  than  the  fact,  that  by 
its  inspiration  men  have  gone  on  to  the  study  of  na- 
ture, hopefully  and  joyfully,  as  never  before,  because 
of  its  philosophy  that  all  things  are  full  of  good. 

And  hence  the  men  of  progress  have  moved  on, 
and  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have 


252         PRESENT   PRIVILEGES  OF  THE   CHRISTIAN. 

entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God 
hath  prepared  to  be  unfolded  to  those  who  love  his 
name,  and  who  read  it  equally  written  in  star-light 
and  in  the  veins  of  the  tiniest  flower. 

And  how  true  is  the  language  of  the  text  in  setting 
forth  the  approach  of  the  reverent  mind  from  mere 
natural  religion  to  the  discoveries  of  the  Divine 
Word  !  Nature  is,  indeed,  suggestive ;  it  inclines  the 
soul  to  desire  something  more  ;  and  men,  while  they 
have  felt  the  grandeur  of  the  heavens,  have  looked  on 
the  stars  and  planets  with  sorrow  that  — 

*'  In  solemn  silence^  all 
Move  round  this  dark,  terrestrial  ball." 

They  want  a  voice  amid  this  silence  ;  they  want  some 
member  of  "  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host "  to 
sing  ;  and  they  invoke  wind  and  water,  air  and  fire, 
to  become  a  preacher  and  let  one  word  echo  through 
the  starry  aisles  of  this  vast,  this  stupendous  cathe- 
dral of  God.  But  this  could  not  be ;  and  a  better 
thing  was  given — the  Revelation  by  Abraham,  then 
by  Moses,  then  by  the  Prophets,  bringing  to  the  soul 
better  visions  than  the  eye  hath  seen,  or  ear  heard  of 
or  imagination  conceived. 

How  true  this  is,  is  easily  seen  by  contrasting  the 
rapture  of  description  which  Psalmist  and  Prophet 
have  indulged  in  when  describing  the  blessings  at- 
tendant on  God's  revelations,  in  comparison  with 
their  descriptions  of  Nature.  Indeed  they  have  used 
Nature  the  most  rapturously  when  they  were  borrow- 
ing from  it  similitudes  to  set  forth  the  treasures  of 


-       PRESENT  PRIVILEGES   OF  THE   CHRISTIAN.  253 

Revelation.  Thus,  too,  was  it  with  the  Saviour.  The 
sun,  the  rain,  the  birds,  the  flowers,  liarvests,  spring 
time,  and  whatever  he  referred  to  in  his  teachings, 
were  all  glorified  by  the  use  made  of  them  in  setting 
forth  something  of  which  they  were  but  signs  and 
symbols. 

And  how  appropriate  is  the  language  of  the  text  in 
describing  what  was  to  be  the  experience  of  a  rever- 
ent soul,  in  our  Saviour's  time,  approaching  the  Gos- 
pel !  How  few  had  any  conception  of  the  glory  of  his 
mission,  and  how  justly  did  he  so  often  speak  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven  being  a  mystery  !  In  his  preach- 
ing he,  as  it  were,  held  up  splendid  pictures  before 
blind  eyes  —  poured  extatic  music  on  deaf  ears,  and 
brought  forth  glowing  and  magnificent  visions  for  dull 
and  cold  imaginations.  The  people  advanced  from 
mere  daubs  to  a  vast  gallery  of  fresh  wonders  as  they 
understood  the  teachings  of  Jesus ;  and  it  was  none 
too  bold  language  when  our  Saviour  said  to  Nathan- 
iel that  he  should  see  Heaven  opened,  and  angels  as- 
cending and  descending.  Stephen  enjoyed  this  glory 
despite  the  malice  of  the  mob  and  the  threatening  of 
death. 

And  by  every  instance  of  true  conversion  from  the 
creeds  of  men  to  the  Everlasting  Gospel,  the  language 
of  the  text  is  justified.  Never  before  had  the  eye 
read,  or  the  ear  heard,  any  thing  so  broad  and  grand 
and  satisfying  ;  and  the  heart  bound  to  narrowness  of 
conception  by  a  narrow  creed,  finds  a  liberty  better 
than  it  ever  dreamed  of  —  the  whole  universe  now 
being  given  to  its  range  of  love  and  hope.  Says  a 
22 


254  PRESENT  PRIYILEGES   OF   THE   CHRISTIAN. 

good  man,  who  came  to  our  Order  from  the  ministry 
of  the  Episcopal  Church,  when  speaking  of  his  con- 
version :  "  How  light  my  heart  felt !  how  joyful  my 
spirit !  how  warm  my  devotions !  how  fervent  my 
gratitude  !  If  it  did  not  impart  to  me  another  sense, 
it  quickened  and  enlivened  those  I  already  possessed. 
I  thought  that  the  sun  looked  brighter  ;  the  music  of 
the  birds  sounded  more  melodiously  ;  the  fruits  of  the 
earth  tasted  sweeter  ;  the  flowers  smelt  more  fra- 
grant ;  and  the  very  air  of  heaven  felt  more  balmy." 

How  many  have  imagined  that  though  they  must 
believe  in  the  Great  Redemption,  yet  they  never 
would  be  free  from  doubt  and  misgiving ;  but  to 
these  has  come  conviction,  like  the  sun  when  it 
leaves  no  mist  upon  the  river,  no  shadow  on  the  hill- 
side. They  found  that  for  them  God  had  prepared 
feasts  they  never  imagined,  raptures  unthought  of, 
comforts  when  the  fountain  seemed  failing,  and 
flowers  in  the  desert  places. 

And  forever  more,  like  God's  bow  of  promise,  the 
text  may  be  kept  before  the  soul  to  tell  of  the  new 
reaches  of  Gospel  Experience  possible  to  the  believer. 
God  will  be  perpetually  surprising  him  ;  for  what  are 
all  the  tendernesses  and  kindnesses  that  wait  on  our 
daily  way,  prepared  by  those  we  love,  but  types,  — 
faint  and  small,  indeed,  but  nevertheless  types  of  our 
Creator's  preparations  for  those  who  love  him  — 
springing  up  in  their  path  like  the  unfailing  promises 
of  Spring. 

"  Old  friends,  old  scenes,  will  lovelier  be, 
As  more  of  heaven  in  each  we  see," 


PRESENT   PRIVILEGES   OF   THE   CHRISTIAN.  255 

Now  was  I  not  right  in  saying  it  is  a  sad  thing  to 
find  men  postponing  a  happiness  that  belongs  to  the 
present  ?  Instead  of  applying  the  text  to  what  may 
be  the  experience  of  to-day,  they  inscribe  it  on  the 
Curtain  of  Death,  and  wait  for  the  rolling  up  of  that 
veil  as  the  only  time  of  fulfilment. 

The  text  has  no  such  reference,  either  as  first  writ- 
ten by  the  Prophet,  or  as  cited  and  applied  by  the 
Apostle. 

It  was  quoted  from  the  prophet  Isaiah  Ixiv.  4,  not 
literally  but  in  substance.  Here  it  refers  to  the  won- 
ders which  God  works  for  those  that  wait  for  him  — 
such  deliverances  as  the  Psalmist  so  often  celebrates, 
and  that  inspires  the  best  songs  of  the  faithful  in  all 
ages. 

"  0  that  thou  wouldst  rend  the  heavens,  that  thou 
would st  come  down,  that  the  mountains  might  flow 
down  at  thy  presence. 

"  As  when  the  melting  fire  burneth,  the  fire  caus- 
etli  the  waters  to  boil ;  to  make  thy  name  known  to 
thine  adversaries,  that  the  nations  may  tremble  at  thy 
presence ! 

"  When  thou  didst  terrible  things  which  we  looked 
not  for,  thou  camest  down,  the  mountains  flowed 
down  at  thy  presence. 

"  For  since  the  beginning  of  the  world  men  have 
not  heard,  nor  perceived  by  the  ear,  neither  hath  the 
eye  seen,  0  God,  beside  thee,  what  he  hath  prepared 
for  him  that  waiteth  for  him." 

The  Apostle,  in  citing  this  Scripture,  did  not  do  so 
to  illustrate  any  theme  pertaining  to  immortality  ;  but 


256  PRESENT   PRIVILEGES   OF   THE   CHRISTIAN. 

rather  to  set  forth  how  superior  were  the  attamments 
in  spiritual  things  of  the  heart  Christian,  rather  than 
the  head  Christian.  To  him  is  given  a  wisdom  and 
spirit  of  Revelation  such  as  the  leaders  of  the  world 
never  knew  ;  and  that  eye  did  not  see,  nor  the  ear 
hear,  neither  did  it  enter  into  the  heart  of  man  to 
conceive  the  revelations  to  be  given  to  those  who 
loved  God,  is  evident  from  the  treatment  of  his  Belov- 
ed Son.  Had  there  been  sympathy  springing  from 
some  conception  of  Christ's  real  work,  he  would  not 
have  been  rejected. 

In  the  next  verse  to  our  text  it  is  affirmed,  . 
that  these  prepared  things  are  revealed  —  not  by 
an  introduction  into  Immortality,  but  by  the  oper- 
ation of  immortal  Truth.  "  But  God  hath  revealed 
them  unto  us  by  his  Spirit."  Like  water  that  no 
man  could  find,  God  made  the  springs  to  leap  up, 
as  to  lonely  Hagar  in  the  wilderness,  and  to  run 
along,  broadening  and  deepening,  like  the  waters  of 
the  river,  to  Ezekiel. 

To  nothing  are  Christians  more  blind  than  to  what 
the  Truth  can  do  for  them  now.  It  is  not  a  mere 
Savings  Bank,  but  an  ever-communicating  Life  ;  and 
the  Gospel,  as  a  matter  of  faith,  and  also  as  a  mat- 
ter of  lively  experience,  may  be  to  every  believer,  — 

"  Like  to  some  dear,  familiar  strain, 
For  which  we  asl;  and  ask  again, 
Ever,  in  its  melodious  store, 
Finding  a  spell  unheard  before." 


SERMON    XXYI. 


GO  HOME  TO  THY  FRIENDS. 

Go  HOME  TO  THY  PRIEXDS,  AND  TELL  THEM  HOW  GREAT  THINGS  THE  LoRD 
HATH  DONE  FOR  THEE,  AND  HATH  HAD  COMPASSION  ON  THEE. — Mark  V.  19. 

This  was  said  to  one  who  had  been  the  terror  of 
the  neighborhood  —  a  wild,  roving,  miserable  maniac. 

He  had  made  his  dwelling  place  amid  the  tombs, 
and  in  the  dark  and  dismal  night  he  might  have  been 
heard,  like  some  lost  spirit,  screaming  in  agony,  as  he 
cut  himself  with  the  sharp  stones  and  threw  himself 
upon  the  broken  rocks.  He  would  at  times  fly  up 
into  the  mountains,  howling  like  some  wild  beast  to 
his  den,  and  more  fearful  because  he  was  a  human 
being  and  no  one  dared  to  hunt  him  to  his  cave  and 
send  the  death  winged  arrow  to  his  heart. 

Indeed,  there  was  more  than  usual  sanctity  thrown 
around  the  mad  one  in  those  times  —  they  were 
thought  to  be  in  some  way  singularly  used  by  the 
Deity,  and  were  regarded  as  sometimes  inspired.  The 
unearthly  rolling  of  the  eye,  the  writhing  of  the  face 
2.2* 


258  GO    HOME   TO   THY   FRIENDS. 

the  matted  and  flying  hair  of  the  head,  and  the  vio- 
lence of  action,  made  them  appear  as  though  they 
were  not  of  mortal  moukl ;  and  in  Gadara  this  rov- 
ing, wild,  howling  and  superhumanly,  strong  maniac 
was  the  common  object  of  reverential  horror. 

Chains  and  fetters  were  as  strings  on  his  limbs. 
Fastened  upon  him  in  some  hour  when  nature  was 
exhausted,  when  from  some  wound  he  had  bled  till 
he  was  weak,  those  bands  were  snapped  asunder  in  an 
instant  when  the  fury  returned  and  Samson  appeared 
in  him  again.  And  then,  as  though  exulting  in  his 
new  found  strength,  he  would  leap  to  some  high  rock 
and  sit  there  upon  his  throne  with  gibbering  speech, 
and  with  his  eye  fixed  on  something  no  other  eye  could 
see  — 

"  Every  sense, 
Has  been  o'erstrung  by  pangs  intense, 
And  each  frail  fibre  of  his  brain, 
(As  bowstrings  v/hen  relaxed  by  rain 
The  erring  arrow  launch  aside,) 
Send  forth  hi^  thoughts  all  wild  and  wide." 

This  fierce  being  came  dashing  down  on  the  sea 
shore  when  Jesus  was  stepping  from  the  fisher's  boat, 
having  just  crossed  the  lake.  From  some  eminence 
he  had  been  watching  the  approach  of  the  boat,  and 
there  had  been  that  in  the  career  of  Jesus  which  was 
just  fitted  to  arrest  the  wandering  mind  of  the  maniac, 
as  the  idiot  seems  aroused  and  has  something  of  intel- 
ligence when  the  lightning  writes  its  awful  characters 
on  the  air. 


GO    HOME   TO    THY   FRIENDS.  259 

'  Seeing  Jesus  landing,  the  maniac  ran,  came  to 
Jesus,  knelt  at  bis  feet,  and  piteously  cried  out  to 
him. 

Fastening  his  eyes  upon  him,  as  the  moon  looks 
down  into  some  dark  and  awful  cave,  Jesus  said, 
"  Come  out  of  him  thou  unclean  spirit !"  and  the  man 
quivered,  and  writhed,  and  rose,  and  then  stood  a  sane 
man  before  the  Redeemer.  The  eye  lost  it  wildness, 
it  came  as  a  star  from  out  amid  dark  clouds  and 
shone  in  calm  and  sweet  beauty. 

The  lip  had  no  more  gibberish,  and  the  voice  articu- 
lated the  clear  thoughts  of  a  sound  mind,  using  a 
cool  brain. 

No  more  did  the  man  run  for  the  tombs  or  the 
mountains,  but  accepted  clothing  ;  and  when  the  peo- 
ple in  the  neighborhood  heard  of  the  change,  they 
came  out  to  see,  and  they  did  see  the  man  sitting  at 
the  feet  of  Jesus,  like  a  converted  savage,  who  has 
sounded  the  war-whoop  for  the  last  time,  clothed  and 
in  his  right  mind.     "  And  they  were  afraid." 

Now  the  man  could  smile  at  their  fears ;  and  no 
doubt  the  contrast  of  his  countenance  —  of  what  they 
saw  with  what  they  remembered,  gave  him  a  super- 
human awe,  and  they  gazed  as  they  would  have  gazed 
on  a  spirit  from  heaven. 

But  the  hour  came  when  Jesus  must  leave  —  the 
people  prayed  him  to  leave  —  they  felt  that  judgments 
were  due  them,  and  they  feared  lest  he  would  bring 
them  soon.  They  knew  where  such  power  resided  as 
could  do  the  work  which  had  been  done,  there  was 
power  to  bring  vast  evils  upon  them.     They  prayed 


260  GO    HOME   TO   THY   FRIENDS. 

him  to  leave,  as  the  worker  of  iniquity  feels  bound 
and  scourged  by  the  awful  presence  of  the  good 
man. 

But  there  was  one  that  would  have  him  stay ;  and 
as  Jesus  could  not  stay,  that  one  —  that  redeemed 
maniac  —  desired  to  follow  him,  to  keep  ever  in  the 
coolness  of  his  presence  —  to  feel  his  influence  as  the 
tides  feel  the  sway  of  the  calm  and  majestic  moon. 

Jesus  steps  into  the  ship  and  is  about  to  push 
from  the  shore,  and  again  the  Gadarene  asks,  "  Let 
me  go  with  you.  Thou  hast  given  life  its  value. 
Thou  hast  brought  order  from  confusion  ;  and  let  the 
mind  thou  hast  calmed  be  thine  —  let  it  serve  thee  — 
let  its  energy  that  once  was  given  to  the  wild  life 
amid  the  mountains  and  the  tombs,  be  given  to  make 
the  way  smoother.  Let  me  be  a  monument  of  thy 
power  —  a  symbol  of  the  change  thy  religion  is  to 
work  for  man." 

But  no !  Jesus  knew  that  a  perpetual  miracle 
could  alone  keep  that  mind  sane,  and  he  was  to  be 
served  not  only  amid  the  excitements  of  the  world, 
but  also  in  the  quiet  of  the  home  —  in  the  retreats  of 
secluded  life,  where  the  roadside  talk,  the  fireside 
conversation,  serve  to  help  on  his  cause  as  truly  as 
the  public  debate  and  the  labored  sermon. 

And  therefore  there  is  meaning  in  the  Saviour's 
answer  far  more  than  the  one  to  whom  it  was  address- 
ed. ''  Go  home  to  thy  friends  and  tell  them  how 
great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee,  and  hath  had 
compassion  on  thee." 


GO   HOME   TO   THY   FRIENDS.  261 

Carry  thy  religious  zeal  home  —  let  it  be  expressed 
there.  Do  not  ask  for  a  public  field,  but  cultivate  a 
little  garden  from  which  the  passer  by  may  catch 
sights  of  beauty,  and  be  won  to  love  and  duty. 

Jesus  went  over  the  lake,  and  the  Gadarene  went 
hofiine. 

What  a  fear  thrills  the  heart  as  he  is  seen  approach- 
ing! He  comes  indeed,  not  wild  and  furious,  but 
how  soon  will  the  calmness  disappear  and  his  howl 
speak  of  the  wild  beast  rather  than  of  the  man  ! 

But  it  is  no  suspension  of  madness  which  they  see, 
but  a  true  enthronement  of  reason.  He  is  cured. 
It  is  with  him  as  it  was  with  chaos  when  the  Spirit 
of  God  brooded  over  the  waters,  and  light  came  to 
develop  order  and  beauty.  He  is  sane  ;  and  he  who 
so  many  times  returned  home  a  terror,  now  enters  a 
blessing  —  the  hand  of  the  great  Prophet  has  been 
on  him  —  the  stormy  Galilee  of  his  soul  has  felt  the 
omnific  word,  and  its  quiet  waters  reflect  the  hues  of 
heaven. 

He  is  welcomed.  What  tears  of  joy  run  down  the 
cheeks  of  the  members  of  the  household  !  How  they 
gaze  at  him !  How  he  smiles  to  see  their  wonder  ! 
How  the  little  children  climb  to  his  knee  and  put 
their  fingers  in  amid  the  combed  locks  of  the  tamed 
lion  !  What  a  jubilee  is  in  that  Home  !  He  has  told 
them  what  great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  him  ; 
and  with  an  unction  such  as  a  deep  experience  only 
can  give,  he  has  spoken  of  the  Lord's  compassion. 
And  there  we  leave  him,  a  joy  to  the  household  —  a 
wonder   to   the    neighborhood  —  a    most   persuasive 


262  GO    HOME   TO   THY   FRIENDS. 

voice  for  Jesus  ;  and  who  can  say  but  that  his  indirect 
ministry  was  as  effectual  for  Christianity  as  any  min- 
istry of  Christ's  disciples  !  And  does  it  not  seem  to 
say  to  us,  Carry  thy  zeal  home,  if  thou  would  serve 
Jesus  ;  and  if  the  greater  field  is  not  for  thee,  be 
careful  to  serve  him  in  the  smaller  ?  The  quality  t)f 
the  work  is  shown  as  well  in  the  latter  as  the  former. 

But  this  is  not  precisely  the  lesson  I  felt  given  to 
me  by  the  text ;  that  lesson  was  rather  this, — What  a 
fine  sample  is  this  Gadarene  of  those  whom  Christ 
sends  home,  changed  from  curses  to  blessings  ! 

In  improving  this  idea  very  briefly,  let  us  consid- 
er,— 

1.  How  one  spirit  may  disturb  a  whole  household, 
—  make  every  means  of  happiness  vain  —  render  all 
the  resources  for  enjoyment  of  no  worth.  All  these 
resources  only  say,  How  happy  we  might  be  !  What 
means  of  making  life  a  beautiful  thing  are  granted 
to  us !  But  one  inmate  poisons  every  cup,  renders 
every  means  of  enjoyment  a  nullity  !  There  is  a  re- 
lief when  our  sorrow  comes  from  sickness,  accident, 
the  visitation  of  God ;  but  when  it  comes  from  moral 
insanity,  the  arrow  is  barbed  indeed,  and  strikes  and 
rankles  deep.  How  much  there  is  of  this  —  from 
intemperance,  dishonesty,  passion,  selfishness,  sensu- 
ality and  meanness  ! 

I  have  looked  on  the  elegant  mansion,  with  its 
glittering  marble,  where  the  evidences  of  wealth  were 
seen  in  every  thing  that  met  the  eye, —  where  through 
the  heavy  folds  of  the  satin  and  lace  at  the  windows, 
is  seen  the  bright  lights  and  the  splendid  paintings  ; 


GO   HOME  TO   THY   FRIENDS.  263 

and  there,  rejoicing  in  the  hixnry  which  riches  can 
bring,  sits  the  nnsuspicious  wife,  whose  heart  is  to 
beat  like  a  bird  imprisoned  at  the  entrance  of  one 
who  is  not  mad  by  the  visitation  of  God,  but  by  his 
own  folly.  He  goes  to  prove  that  virtuous  principle 
can  do  more  for  happiness  than  wealth. 

He  enters  the  house  a  living  curse  —  a  throbbing 
ulcer  —  a  quiver  of  barbed  arrows,  more  mad  than 
the  Gadarene,  for  he  paid  homage  in  his  madness  to 
goodness,  while  this  self-made  maniac  spits  at  it,  and 
gives  for  tones  of  love  the  gibberish  of  fools,  the 
mirth  of  the  bar-room,  the  dregs  of  the  bacchanalian 
feast. 

He  leaves  the  home  only  to  be  an  object  of  fear  and 
torturing  anxiety,  like  the  Gadarene  in  his  wild  rov- 
ings. 

2.  But  our  theme  hath  another  lesson,  more  pleas- 
ant, and  that  is,  Jesus  can  transform  this  wild  spirit 
and  send  him  home  a  blessing. 

Jesus  cured  the  Gadarene  of  a  madness  the  most 
terrible.  The  man  thought  himself  possessed  of  a 
legion  of  devils  or  demons,  and  every  fibre  of  his  be- 
ing was  on  the  rack,  pulled  and  tortured  by  these 
invisible  powers.  Christ  tamed  him  —  not  merely  for 
his  own  relief — for  his  friends  —  for  the  influence  he 
would  exert  at  home  —  but  also  for  all  ages  —  for  us, 
to  say.  The  wildest  soul  of  wickedness  can  be  trans- 
formed—  desperation  can  be  charmed  to  mildness, 
chaos  can  become  order. 

And  Jesus  has  proved  this.  His  religion  has  tam- 
ed as  wild  creatures  as  any  that  now  live  to  terrify 


264  GO   HOME  TO   THY  FRIENDS. 

the  household,  and  to  suggest  chains  and  prisons. 
Yes,  to  God  be  the  glory  !  the  Gospel  has  equalled  the 
miracle  of  Jesus  !  The  moral  maniac  has  been  tam- 
ed !  The  ferocious  tiger  has  departed,  and  the  seren- 
ity of  a  true,  manly  soul  has  appeared  —  like  the 
passing  of  the  thunderous  clouds  that  made  night 
awful,  and  the  coming  forth  of  the  morn,  pouring  her 
baptism  of  light  on  hill  and  tower  and  on  the  rolling 
river  and  the  home.  So  I  have  felt  the  change  when 
I  have  seen  what  the  Gospel  can  do. 

But  here  is  my  last  word :  Do  not  let  us  shake  all 
this  off  with  the  passing  hour,  because  we  are  not  ma- 
niacs and  cannot  go  home  as  such.  But  let  this  be 
our  question, —  Where  do  we  stand  between  this  ex- 
treme and  what  we  should  be  ?  Here  is  the  terrible 
maniac,  and  there  is  Jesus — where  are  we  ?  With 
which  have  we  the  most  features  of  character  in  com- 
mon ?  God  help  us  to  be  like  Him  who  never  enter- 
ed a  Home  but  to  make  it  better  and  happier. 


SERMON    XXYII. 


VISITATIONS  OF   GOD. 

And  Jacob  awaked  out  op  his  sleep,   and   he  said,   Surely  the 
Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not.— Geu.  xxviii.  16. 

There  is  a  vast  difference,  many  times,  between  the 
reality  of  an  existence  and  our  knowledge  of  it ;  be- 
tween the  ministries  of  life  and  our  appreciation  of 
them;  between  the  omnipresence  of  God  and  our 
uses  of  that  truth. 

We  little  know  what  a  palace  we  lie  down  in  when 
our  lot  seems  hard,  our  heart  and  limbs  are  weary, 
and  our  pillow  rocky  as  Jacob's.  The  world  has  re- 
jected more  glory  that  came  in  dreams  than  it  has  ac- 
cepted from  the  demonstrations  of  experiment;  and 
yet  it  would  be  miserable  indeed,  did  not  the  beauty 
of  dreams  linger  around  the  paths  of  its  journeyings. 
"Where  no  vision  is,  the  people  perish." 

Grand  as  the  universe  is,  door  after  door  to  inner 
glories  being  thrown  open  by  science  and  philosophy, 
yet  the  world  of  dreams  surpasses  all  that  the  eye 
hath  seen.  Indeed,  it  is  the  dream  that  gives  to  what 
are  called  the  revelations  of  science  their  chief  charm, 
23 


266  VISITATIONS   OF  GOD. 

stretching  the  vision  far  away  from  the  demonstra- 
tion, and  sending  it  afar,  till  upon  a  throne  of  stars 
the  soul  kneels  to  worship  God.  There  in  thatsleep 
of  utter  abstraction,  the  philosopher  is  beholding  a 
new  path  from  earth  to  heaven  ;  the  flying  feet  of  as- 
cending angels  are  but  the  speeding  of  his  question- 
ings, and  the  descending  messengers,  who  come  with 
such  radiant  wings  and  smiling  eyes,  are  the  bright 
answers  to  his  thoughts,  and  he  awakes  to  tell  the 
world  how  he  has  seen  God,  and  anew  may  be  uttered 
the  promise  of  a  blessing  to  all  the  families  of  the 
earth.  Every  new  truth  or  principle  is  such  a  bless- 
ing. And  so,  too,  the  Christian,  in  his  meditative 
moods,  has  flashes  of  glory  come  over  him  till  the 
dawn  is  beautiful,  the  grey  mists  all  faded  into  the 
crimson  light,  and  he  awakes  to  say.  Surely  God  is 
here,  and  I  knew  it  not.  Not  that  he  had  ever  doubt- 
ed the  omnipresence  of  the  Deity,  but  had  often  failed 
to  apply  his  faith,  as  he  might,  to  strengthen,  to  com- 
fort, and  to  bless. 

There  is  a  knowledge  of  the  reason,  and  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  heart.  There  is  a  knowledge  that  embra- 
ces the  whole,  but  does  not  recognize  the  parts.  The 
one  speaks  of  the  omnipresence  of  God,  but  the  other 
is  necessary  to  feel  that  truth  in  its  relation  to  all 
times  and  places.  Jacob,  as  he  went  toward  Haran, 
and  lay  down  to  sleep  when  the  sun  had  set,  knew 
God  was  as  much  there  as  any  where,  but  that  knowl- 
edge was  as  a  hidden  spring,  of  which  no  lip  drinks, 
and  he  started  in  surprise  when  he  woke  with  the  joy 
of  his  dream  still  upon  him,  as  though  the  ladder  had 


VISITATIONS   OF  GOD.  267 

been  let  down  for  a  divine  visitation  that  otherwise 
wonld  not  have  been.  Tiiis  is  the  difference  between 
the  knowledge  that  stores  tip  facts,  and  the  knowledge 
that  uses  facts ;  as  where  David  prayed  to  know  how 
frail  he  was,  that  he  might  become  better  before  God. 
He  could  not  hide  from  himself  that  he  was  mortal ; 
that  he  might  pass  away  suddenly ;  but  he  wanted  to 
have  this  knowledge  to  strike  home  to  passion  and 
desire,  that  he  might  use  it  to  high  ends,  as  they  use 
it  to  low  aims  whose  cry  is,  "  Let  us  eat  and  drink, 
for  to-morrow  we  die."  Thus  the  sensualist  uses 
what  he  thinks  to  be  knowledge ;  and  in  the  steady 
pursuit  of  pleasure,  he  sets  an  example  of  persistence 
to  be  copied  by  those  whose  estimate  of  life  is  formed 
on  a  spiritual  basis. 

The  patriarch  Jacob,  at  the  time  the  text  presents 
him  to  our  view,  was  fleeing  from  the  presence  of 
Esau,  who  had  been  terribly  wronged  by  him,  and 
whose  wild  strength  it  was  feared  might  be  directe  d 
against  the  life  of  his  twin  brother.  Jacob  had  de- 
ceived his  blind  father ;  he  had,  by  an  actor's  art,  ob- 
tained the  blessing  that,  once  given,  could  not  be 
transferred ;  and  the  bitter  cry  of  Esau  was  awful  to 
hear,  when  the  deception  of  Jacob  had  been  success- 
ful. In  his  passion,  Esau  had  spoken  of  vengeance 
on  Jacob  wdien  his  father  should  be  dead.  The 
mother  heard  of  the  words,  and  speedily  prepared 
Jacob  to  depart  to  the  home  of  Laban,  her  brother, 
in  Haran.  Jacob,  blessed  by  his  father  Isaac,  depart- 
ed. He  was  approaching  the  city  of  Luz,  when  night 
overtcok  him,  and  the  gates  of  the  city  were  probably 


268  VISITATIONS   OF  GOD. 

shut,  so  he  prepared  to  lie  down  to  sleep  hi  the  open 
field.  He  took  a  stone  and  folded  some  garment  upon 
it,  and  lay  down  to  rest,  with  the  stars  above  him, 
not,  we  may  believe,  without  remembering  his  God, 
whose  protection  and  mercy  he  had  so  much  need  of 
then.  He  knew  God  was  there,  but  that  he  was  there 
to  give  him  assurance  of  favor,  to  open  to  him  new 
visions  of  glory,  was  an  idea  that  did  not  possess  his 
mind,  a  guilty  soul  as  he  then  was.  But  "he 
dreamed,  and  behold  a  ladder  set  upon  the  earth,  and 
the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven ;  and  behold,  the 
angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  upon  it." 
And  the  Lord  stood  above  it,  revealing  himself  as  the 
God  of  his  fathers,  declaring  to  him  that  the  land 
whereon  he  was  lying  should  be  given  to  him  and  his 
seed,  and  that  his  seed  should  be  numerous,  and  be 
spread  abroad  to  the  west  and  the  east,  to  the  north 
and  the  south,  and  that  in  his  seed  should  all  the 
families  of  the  earth  be  blessed.  The  divine  commu- 
nication was  closed  with  an  assurance  of  the  divine 
presence,  favor  and  protection.  "And  Jacob  awaked 
out  of  his  sleep,  and  he  said,  Surely  the  Lord  is  in 
this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not."  He  was  filled  with 
awe,  and  exclaimed,  "How  dreadful  is  this  place! 
This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God,  and  this  is 
the  gate  of  heaven."  Then  he  took  the  stone  that 
had  been  his  pillow,  and  according  to  tlie  fashion  of 
his  times,  poured  oil  upon  it,  after  placing  it  up  as  a 
pillar,  a  memorial  of  the  visitation  of  God.  He 
called  the  place  Bethel^  that  is,  The  house  of  God. 


VISITATIONS   OF   GOD.  269 

What  an  uiiexpocted  glory  had  that  night  of  fear 
to  him !  Had  he  gone  into  the  city,  he  might  have 
met  associations  that  would  liave  sent  him  to  his  sleep 
in  a  different  mood  than  his  solitary  journeying  had 
brought  to  him,  as  he  had  left  the  joys  of  home,  the 
presence  of  the  dearest  objects  of  his  life,  and  with  an 
accusing  memory  that  was  to  follow  him  many  years 
till  again  he  sees  God  in  a  surprising  manner,  even  in 
the  kindness  of  Esau's  face. 

This  incident  may  open  to  us  several  interesting 
and  profitable  themes,  such  as  the  unexpected  visita- 
tions of  God ;  God  coming  with  blessings  and  prom- 
ises to  the  guilty ;  and  the  effect  of  God's  gracious 
visitations  in  rendering  places  sacred,  and  making 
them,  as  it  were,  the  gates  of  heaven. 

And,  first,  let  lis  consider  the  unexpected  visita- 
tions of  God. 

Let  us  pause  a  moment  to  notice  how  the  wording 
of  our  topics  seems  to  imply  that  God  is  not  with  us 
at  all  times.  We  speak  of  visitations  from  God,  of 
his  coming  to  us,  of  his  drawing  nigh  to  iis,  and  the 
Scriptures  abound  with  such  language.  The  Psalm- 
ist, beholding  the  magnificence  of  the  heavens,  ex- 
claimed, "What  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful  of 
him  ?  and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him  ?" 
So  when  trouble  was  upon  him  —  "  Remember  me,  0 
Lord  ;  0  visit  me  with  thy  salvation."  And  so  at  the 
gate  of  Nain,  when  Jesus  met  the  funeral  throng,  and 
had  compassion  on  the  widowed  mother  whose  only 
son  lay  upon  the  bier.     He  gave  life  to  the  dead ;  the 


23^ 


270  VISITATIONS   OF   GOD. 

young  man  rose  up  and  began  to  speak,  and  Jesus 
gave  him  to  his  mother.  "And  there  came  a  fear 
upon  all ;  and  they  glorified  God,  saying.  That  a  great 
prophet  is  risen  up  among  us ;  and,  That  God  hath 
visited  his  people."  Jesus  adopted  the  same  method 
of  speaking  when  he  was  asked  by  one  of  his  disci- 
ples, "  Lord,  how  is  it  that  thou  wilt  manifest  thyself 
unto  us,  and  not  unto  the  world  ?"  Jesus  answered, 
"  If  a  man  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  words  ;  and  my 
Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and 
make  our  abode  with  him."  This  method  of  speak- 
ing is  not  merely  imaginative.  There  are  persons 
who  dwell  near  us  for  years  and  we  know  but  little  of 
them ;  they  go  away  from  our  thoughts ;  they  are 
never  really  near  us ;  but  some  incident  occurs  that 
reveals  some  element  of  their  character  with  which 
we  were  not  acquainted ;  we  find  they  sympathise 
with  us  in  reference  to  something  that  is  dear  or 
sacred,  and  they  come  near  to  us  as  never  before ;  TV-e 
open  our  hearts  to  them,  they  enter,  and  take  a  place 
there.  So  we  speak  of  how  distant  a  person  was 
whom  we  met  in  some  circle ;  we  sat  by  their  side, 
but  the  wall  of  China  is  not  higher  or  broader  than 
seemed  the  wall  between  us  ;  the  isolation  we  felt  in 
the  same  room,  by  the  same  fire.  Every  day  persons 
come  near  us,  and  go  away  from  us,  according  to  the 
action  of  our  sympathies.  Persons  continue  near 
each  other  like  two  blocks  of  ice  ;  and  again  they  are 
as  the  intermingling  colors  of  the  rainbow.     Some, 


VISITATIONS   OF   GOD.  271 

seemingly  united  in  the  holiest  of  bonds,  have  only 

"  To  behold 
Unfitness  rising  daily  like  a  shoal 
Before  affection's  anchorage.     To  grow  apart 
In  one  large  roomy  house,  and  solitary 
In  nuptiil  company." 
"  There  the  kindest  acts 
Have  as  it  were  a  calm  severity, 
And  coldness  in  the  doing." 

By  the  same  general  law  of  sympathy  it  is  right  to 
speak  of  the  visitations  of  God.  We  speak  of  a  per- 
son being  distant  when  it  is  our  feelings,  our  thoughts, 
our  surmises,  that  create  the  distance.  California 
was  very  distant  to  thousands  till  they  sent  their  sym- 
pathies there  and  drew  it,  as  it  were,  near  to  them. 
So  with  any  place.  Not  that  the  place  is  affected  at 
all,  but  our  hearts  are.  So  with  God.  Our  thoughts 
do  not  travel  to  affect  him,  as  an  embassy  acts  upon  a 
king  to  make  him  pliant  and  merciful  to  persons  in 
his  power.  No ;  he  is  without  variableness  or  the 
shadow  of  turning.  God  is  to  us  like  the  air  charged 
with  electric  vitality.  We  bathe  our  bodies,  we  apply 
the  means  of  quickening  the  action  of  the  bodily  or- 
ganism, and  we  go  forth  into  the  cold  air  to  receive 
strength.  It  is  not  the  atmosphere  that  changes,  but 
our  bodies.  There,  in  its  vastness,  utterly  beyond 
our  power  to  affect  its  temperature,  is  the  boundless 
sea  of  air.  Into  it  we  must  go,  to  be  affected  by  it  as 
we  have  prepared  ourselves  to  be  affected.  So,  rever- 
ently be  it  spoken,  is  the  relation  of  God  to  us  and 


272  VISITATIONS   OF   GOD. 

our  relation  to  God.  Poor  and  mean  is  the  compari- 
son, as  are  all  comj)arisons  that  attempt  to  image 
God,  but  it  will  grow  in  greatness  and  significance 
the  more  we  study  it.  It  will  at  least  impress  the 
fact  upon  our  minds,  that  if,  to  us,  God  is  not  in  a 
place,  or  if  he  is  there  only  to  haunt  us  as  an  object 
of  terror,  or  is  there  to  overwhelm  and  oppress  as 
mere  Almightiness  and  irresistible  will,  the  fault  is  in 
us;  the  evil  is  in  our  conceptions,  our  superstitious 
and  our  guilty  fears,  our  ignorance  or  unbelief. 
The  invalid  shrinks  from  contact  with  the  balmiest 
summer  air;  so  the  invalid  mind  shrinks  from  the 
presence  of  God,  and  wants  nothing  so  much  as  the 
spot  where  it  can  say,  God  is  not  in  this  place  !  Like 
Adam,  it  would  hide  from  the  Omnipresent. 

Seeing,  then,  the  justification  of  the  language  we 
use  in  speaking  of  the  visitations  of  God,  we  may 
speak  of  them.  How  much  are  they  needed  !  Sweet 
to  the  soul  are  the  visitations  of  friends  —  the  coming 
of  the  parent,  the  brother,  the  sister,  the  dear  one,  to 
our  home !  New  feelings  are  awakened,  and  the 
bride  in  the  Canticles  employs  no  burning  speech  too 
enthusiastic  for  the  soul.  To  the  stranger  it  seems 
as  though  we  were  passionate,  wild  with  wine,  so  fer- 
vid is  our  speech,  so  exultingly  do  we  act.  But 
sweeter  to  the  soul  is  the  visitation  of  God ;  and  the 
language  of  the  rapt  spirit  has  been  censured  as  the 
speech  of  a  wild  love,  and  the  unbeliever  has  shown 
what  a  mass  of  vice  lies  amid  his  sensibilities  by 
speaking  of  the  devotional  hymn  as  "  amatory  poetry." 
But  even  he  has  answered  himself  by  using  the  same 


VISITATIONS  OF  GOD.  273 

language  towards  an  abstraction  called  Reason,  Truth, 
Liberty,  which  the  Christian  wrote  in  adoring  his 
God  and  glorifying  the  grace  in  Jesns. 

Yes,  nothing  is  more  needed,  and  nothing  is  more 
joy-giving,  than  the  visitations  of  God.  They  come 
to  the  fervent  prayer,  to  the  wrestling  soul,  to  the 
tempted  crying  for  help,  to  Jesus  on  the  mountain 
top,  by  the  grave  of  Lazarus,  in  Gethsemane,  on  Cal- 
vary. But  they  come  uninvited ;  they  come  like  a 
dear  face  that  brings  a  heaven  suddenly  into  our 
home ;  they  come  to  chase  away  our  tears,  to  show 
the  dead  glorified,  to  teach  us  submission,  to  revive 
our  failing  strength,  to  keep  unspent  the  meal  and 
oil.  They  come  as  the  wind  changes,  to  give  us  the 
odors  of  spring's  blooms ;  or  as  the  rain, 

"  That  loves  to  come  at  night, 

To  make  you  wonder  in  the  morn, 
What  made  the  earth  so  bright." 

They  come  as  Jesus  to  the  impotent  man  at  Be- 
thesda's  pool,  who  "  wist  not  who  it  was  that  had 
healed  him."  Truly  has  the  divine  word  said,  "  I 
was  found  of  them  that  sought  me  not ;  I  was  made 
manifest  unto  them  that  asked  not  after  me."  Yes, 
and  this  was  said  when  the  sin  of  Israel  was  in  full 
view ;  when  they  were  "  a  disobedient  and  gainsaying 
people." 

And  here  is  the  primal  source  of  the  great  scheme 
of  redemption.  It  was  free  grace  communicating 
itself  unto  the  world.     It  is  in  these  things  that  God's 


274  VISITATIONS   OF   GOD. 

love  is  best  shown.  He  comes  as  the  mother  whose 
kiss  is  felt  through  the  dark  by  the  child.  The  child 
could  give  no  reasoning  why  he  knew  it  was  his 
mother's  kiss,  but  only  the  simple  affirmation  that  he 
knew  it  was  her.  No  other  being,  it  rnay  be,  ever 
came  so ;  and  what  a  rapture  to  the  child  to  wake  to 
such  an  unseen  visitation  of  love  !  Even  so  comes 
the  Lord,  our  Maker  and  Father.  It  is  by  his  unex- 
pected visitations  that  we  are  most  blessed.  The  sur- 
prise startles  us  into  new  life.  And  those  times  are 
visitations  of  God  when  some  wonder  arrests  our 
attention  and  impresses  us  with  awe ;  when  the  joy 
or  sorrow  of  life  carries  us  away  from  the  finite  to  the 
infinite ;  when  the  appliances  of  devotion  lull  the 
troubled  spirit  into  a  calm,  and  thoughts  of  God  rise 
clear  in  the  soul,  as  stars  come  out  in  the  twilight. 
The  mother  with  her  child,  feeling  how  boundless  is 
the  love  she  bears  it,  and  what  a  treasure  it  is ;  the 
young  bride  with  a  joy  that  overflows  into  prayer ; 
young  lovers  sitting  silent  in  the  moonlight,  with 
affections  as  pure  as  its  mellow  rays,  and  hopes  as 
hallowing ;  the  rich  man  thinking  of  the  happiness 
his  charities  have  bestowed,  and  the  poor  man  grate- 
ful that  his  little  can  be  so  much  ;  the  philanthropist 
seeing  a  gleam  of  success,  and  the  martyr  standing 
up  amid  desolation,  but  feeling  that  the  earth  is  soon 
to  bud  and  blossom  as  the  rose  ;  the  dying  saint  lying 
with  folded  hands  —  emblem  that  this  life's  work  is 
done  —  and  with  eyes  closed  like  the  flowers  at  eve, 
are  all  visited  of  God.  He  is  there  when  they  know 
it  not.  He  is  the  joy,  the  hope,  the  promise,  the 
glory  of  the  hour. 


VISITATIONS   OF   GOD.  275 

But  he  comes  also  to  others.     Our  second  topic  !?> 
God  coming  with  blessings  and  promises  to  the  guilty. 
Surely  this  was  the  approach  of  God  to  Jacob  when 
he  lay  in  the  open  field.     How  guilty  he  was  !     How 
awful  his  guilt  in  the  liglit  of  the  holy  stars  !     What 
terrible  wrongs  he  had  inflicted  upon  his  brother ! 
What  imposition  he  had  practised  on  his  old,  blind 
father !     A  mighty  journey  he  had  taken  that  day, 
showing  how  swift  of  foot  he  had  been,  what  speed 
fear  had  added  to  the  pilgrim's  steps.     He  lies  down 
to  sleep.     The  rocky  pillow  is  not  so  hard  as  the 
weight  is  heavy  at  his  heart.     But  kindly  sleep  visits 
him.     The  starry  heavens  bend  over  him  as  though 
he  had  never  sinned.     The  night  air  sung  around 
him  the  softest  lullaby.     All  tumult  is  hushed  within 
his  breast,  and  Jacob  sleeps.     Why  steals  the  smile 
over  his  late  troubled  countenance  ?      Why  dilates 
the  breast  so  gently,  that  heaved  so  heavily  ?     Why 
such  happiness  in  sleep?     He  is  dreaming  —  dream- 
ing of  a  path  opened  from  earth  to  heaven  ;  it  is  peo- 
pled with  angels  with  winged  feet  flying  to  and  fro ; 
and  from  the  glorious  mystery  above  speaks  a  voice  to 
him.     It  is  the  voice  of  God  ;  a  voice  that  speaks  to 
him  only  of  blessings  and  promises.     Happy  Jacob  ! 
guilt  has  not  exiled  thee  from  God !     The  goodness 
of  God  would  lead  thee  to  repentance. 

And  what  an  influence  did  this  visitation  have  upon 
Jacob!  This  recalls  our  last  topic.  The  effect  of 
God's  gracious  visitations  in  rendering  places  sacred, 
and  making  them,  as  it  were,  the  gates  of  heaven. 


276  VISITATIONS   OF  GOD. 

It  is  here  that  we  see  what  thought  can  do,  and 
how  completely  life  is  what  thought  makes  it.     The 
plains  near  Luz,  where  Jacob  laid  down  to  sleep,  were 
but  common  earth  to  him  then.     The  stone  he  chose 
to  lift  his  head  as  he  rested,  was  but  one  of  thousands. 
But  with  the  morning  what  a  change !     Evermore 
must  that  place  be  sacred,  and  his  pillow  becomes  a 
pillar,  consecrated  as  a  memorial  of  God.     "  How 
dreadful  is  this  place !     This  is  none  other  but  the 
house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven."     The 
heart  sanctifies  places  ;  and  it  is  well  to  cherish  a  love 
for  the  places  where  our  affections  have  been  devel- 
oped, where  life  has  assumed  a  holier  meaning,  where 
we  have  been  brought  more  closely  into  the  order  of 
nature,  and  have  felt  attracted  to  heaven  and  God. 
Jacob's  glow  of  feeling  transformed  the  open  plain 
into  a  temple,  and  the  temple  into  a  portal  of  heaven. 
So  will  it  be  with  every  place  where  God  is  felt  so 
near  that  the  whole  being  is  affected,  and  a  new  influ- 
ence comes  to  the  life.     So  ought  it  to  be  with  the 
place  of   our  Sabbath  devotions.      Thought  should 
transform  it  into  something   sacred.     It   should  be 
more  than  any  other  building.     Everything  associa- 
ted with  lightness  should  be  excluded.     That  is  the 
sacred  place  where  the  most  of  sacred  thoughts,  truth 
and  feeling  come  to  us  ;  where  the  soul  is  not  turned 
away  by  hideous  imaginings  and  revolting  supersti- 
tions ;  where  Jesus  is  most  truly  found,  as  the  Way, 
the  Truth,  and  the  Life.     It  is  the  grand  thought  that 
is  to  be  our  real  temple,  the  radiant  portal  of  heaven ; 
and  if  we  will,  a  great  thought  will  bend  above  us 


VISITATIONS   OF   GOD.  277 

more  than  the  pointed  and  aspiring  arches  of  the 
Gothic  cathedral,  and  will  bnild  for  us  windows  of 
glory. 

Yes,  and  we  need  such  windows,  through  which 
we  can  look — not  on  the  city  street,  the  rural  land- 
scape, or  the  burial-place  of  the  dead;  but  into  the 
world  of  the  immortals ;  into  the  golden  streets  of 
the  celestial  city,  and  survey  the  river  of  life  graced 
with  the  ever-blooming  trees,  where  the  redeemed 
die  no  more.  Day  after  day  brings  its  sad  changes, 
and  though  we  may  not  like  Jacob  fly  from  our  kin- 
dred and  loved  ones,  they  fly  from  us,  and  we  recall 
the  lines  of  the  poet : — 

"  Another  hand  is  beckoning  us  ; 

Another  call  is  given  j 
And  glows  once  more,  with  angel  steps, 

The  path  which  reaches  heaven." 

Thus  we  are  wakened  from  our  sleep  of  security  — 
startled  into  consciousness  of  what  life  is,  and  how 
slender  the  hold  we  have  upon  it.  Happy  for  us  if 
when  we  are  thus  awakened,  we  can  feel  the  power 
of  our  faith ;  and  while  we  feel  that  we  knew  not 
God  was  in  the  place  to  bereave  us,  we  can  also  real- 
ize, gratefully  and  adoringly,  that  he  is  here  to  open 
the  gate  of  heaven  —  to  send  angels  to  tell  us  of  the 
joy  of  the  departed,  that  we  may  send  back  by  like 
spirits  the  acquiescence  of  a  serene  trust  and  a  de- 
vout love  —  Father,  thy  will  be  done. 
24 


SERMON    XXYIII 


PRAYER. 

Lord,  teach  us  to  pray,  as  John  also  taught  his  disciples. 

Luke  xi.  1. 

How  John  tauglit  his  disciples  to  pray  must  be  left 
to  conjecture.  On  tliat  point  the  Evangelists  are  si- 
lent. We  venture  however  to  assume,  that  whatev- 
er teaching  John  gave  on  this  matter,  was  directed  to 
a  practical  and  reformative  end.  The  whole  life  of 
John  was  a  work  of  preparation  for  the  coming  of  a 
mightier  than  he,  and  all  that  we  see  of  him  reminds 
us  of  the  freshening  winds  and  wild  storms  of  early 
Spring,  when  we  catch  now  and  then  the  breath  of 
violets  in  the  gale.  That  he  taught  his  disciples  the 
true  spirit  of  prayer,  the  text  assorts,  and  it  is  evident 
that  the  intention  of  the  request  to  Jesus  touched  the 
topics  proper  for  his  disciples.  A  difference  in  his 
teaching  on  this  point  was  to  be  expected,  for  the 
grand  burden  of  John's  prayers  was  fulfilled,  and  the 
Desire  of  all  nations  had  come.     Assuming  a  new  po- 


PRAYER.  279 

sition,  Jesus  must  necessarily  liave  a  new  burden  for 
prayer,  and  very  natural  was  the  request  of  one  of 
his  disciples,  "  Lord,  teach  us  to  pray,  as  John  also 
taught  his  disciples.'^ 

This  request  came  at  a  time  when  Jesus  had  come 
forth  from  a  place  of  secret  prayer.  His  disciples  felt 
that  they  should  be  aided  in  their  devotions  did  they 
know  how  he  would  have  them  to  pray,  and  one  ven- 
tured to  request  to  be  taught.  In  answer,  Jesus  gave 
ilie  beautiful,  touching  and  all-comprehensive  prayer, 
which  we  call  The  Lord's  Prayer,  whose  significance 
expands  witli  the  expanding  mind,  and  is  alike  prop- 
er when  on  the  lip  of  infancy  and  when  chanted  by 
thousands  in  the  vaulted  cathedral. 

How  differently  various  authors  of  religions  have 
taught  their  followers  to  pray,  is  more  than  a  subject 
of  curiosity.  We  may  learn  much  concerning  their 
temper  and  spirit,  their  aims  and  desires,  from  the 
contrast  of  their  prayers.  And  never  wholly  idle  will 
be  the  question  as  to  the  manner  of  prayer  taught  by 
the  different  teachers  of  the  Christian  Religion,  as 
they  express  the  spirit  and  method  of  the  various 
sects  and  parties  ;  for  great  is  the  difterence  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Wesleyans  in  contrast  with  the  ritual  of 
the  English  Church,  in  the  bosom  of  which  church 
they  originated.  New  methods  of  religious  opera- 
tion —  revival  movements,  have  been  distinguished  as 
much  Ijy  a  new  teaching  how  to  pray,  as  by  any  other 
peculiar  feature.  And  many  of  these  novelties  are 
worthy  of  study,  for  they  reveal  certain  helps  to  re- 
ligious action  that  ive  need,  especially  the  combina- 


280  PRAYER. 

tion  and  unity  in  praying  for  an  individual  or  a  single 
object.  Is  there  not  something  beautiful  in  the 
monthly  concert  of  Prayer  for  Missionary  objects,  so 
general  among  a  large  class  of  Christians  on  the  first 
Monday  evening  of  every  month  ?  So  also  with  the 
division  of  the  Year  into  festival  days,  or  days  preced- 
ing and  succeeding  the  festivals,  whereby  the  Church 
of  England  and  her  mother,  the  Papal  Church, 
throughout  their  dominions,  unite  in  the  same  prayers 
on  the  Sabbath,  the  same  words  falling  from  the 
lip  of  royalty  and  peasantry,  the  learned  and  un- 
learned. But  not  without  meaning  is  the  choice  of 
more  spontaneous  and  unartificial  utterance  of  devo- 
tional thought  and  feeling,  like  the  voice  of  the  wind  ; 
not  coming  through  the  organ  as  man  touches  the 
keys,  but  swaying  the  lily  in  the  lake  and  whispering 
amid  the  reeds  and  willows  by  the  shore,  and  surging 
amid  the  tops  of  the  pines  in  solemn  cadence  hum- 
bling to  the  soul. 

Leaving  each  one  to  the  method  best  suited  to  his 
needs,  I  would  say  a  few  words  touching  the  impor- 
tance of  vocalizing  prayer,  and  then  speak  of  Solita- 
ry, Companionable,  Social  and  Public  Prayer,  as  the 
spirit  of  Christianity  seems  to  teach. 

Many  persons  do  not  seem  to  recognize  any  impor- 
tance of  vocalizing'  prayer  ;  they  carry  to  an  extreme 
the  idea  that  prayer  is  a  spiritual  exercise  ;  but  if  vo- 
cal expression  gives  new  power  to  the  poem,  the  ser- 
mon, the  letter  from  a  friend,  so  must  it  be  with  the 
utterance  of  prayer.  How  often,  when  we  cannot 
concentrate  our  attention  in  silent  reading,  we  sue- 


PRAYER.  281 

cecd  in  doing  this  by  reading  aloud  ;  and  there  is 
something  in  the  hearing  of  our  own  voice  that  reas- 
sures us  —  that  reacts  on  the  power  that  speaks  in 
the  thoughts  we  utter.  I  have  known  persons  wlio 
complained  to  me  that  the  effort  to  vocalize  prayer 
distracted  their  attention  and  drove  away  the  devout 
feeling  ;  but  this  was  but  the  trial  of  the  spirit  that 
enduring  long  enough  would  find  the  reward.  Many 
to  whom  the  effort  to  make  vocal  a  spontaneous  prayer 
has  been  an  exercise  most  searchingly  painful,  have, 
by  perseverance,  obtained  a  freedom  of  expression 
which  gave  them  a  delight  and  benefit  in  their  devo- 
tions they  never  knew  before.  The  wife  of  Luther 
felt  the  same  distractions  in  reference  to  prayer,  when 
she  could  no  longer  have  her  former  help  in  the  forms 
of  the  papal  church.  "  Doctor,"  said  his  wife  to 
Martin  Luther,  "  how  is  it  that  while  subjects  to  Pa- 
pacy we  prayed  so  often  and  with  such  fervor,  while 
now  we  pray  with  the  utmost  coldness  and  very  sel- 
dom ?  "  This  fact  pained  him  excessively ;  but  he 
did  not  yield  to  the  strangeness  ;  he  made  that  yield 
to  him ;  and  at  last,  when  he  stood  up  and  laid  his 
hand  on  the  Bible  in  his  solitude,  the  second  day  at 
the  Diet  of  Worms,  as  mighty  an  inflowing  of  assist- 
ing strength  came  to  his  aid  as  he  ever  knew  in  the 
cell  of  the  monastery. 

But  the  great  argument  for  attempting  the  exercise 
of  vocal  prayer  and  persevering  in  it,  comes  from  the 
fact  that,  next  to  the  greater  power  given  to  our  soli- 
tary prayer,  we  are  fitting  ourselves  to  help  others  in 
their  need.  We  may,  indeed,  by  look,  attitude  and 
24* 


282  PRAYER. 

other  symbols,  impart  a  knowledge  to  others  that  we 
are  praying  for  them  ;  and  never  would  I  underyaliie 
the  power  of  the  silent  prayer,  as  in  the  meeting  of 
the  Friends.  But  so  long  as  there  is  power  in  the 
voice  —  a  melting,  soothing,  uplifting  and  strength- 
ening power  in  the  tone  of  the  devout  soul,  so  long 
will  vocal  prayer  be  desirable  in  the  chamber  where 
companions  kneel,  around  the  couch  of  sickness,  and 
above  the  cold  face  of  the  dead.  In  solitude  let  us 
ask  of  God  to  help  us  to  the  utterance  of  prayer,  that 
we  may  be  helpers  to  the  weak  in  their  times  of  need, 
ready  to  pray  with  the  sorrowing,  the  tempted  and 
the  discouraged.  How  many  times  for  want  of  this, 
the  dying  friend  has  expired  with  the  vain  call  for 
some  one  to  help  the  soul  by  prayer  !  I  have  hasten- 
ed to  a  call  at  midnight,  and  found  the  friend  who 
asked  for  prayer,  dead^  while  voiceless  stood  around 
the  bed  professing  Christians  of  different  sects  — 
none  could  pray.  Many  are  the  reasons  why  such 
things  may  be,  but  the  most  enlarged  charity  cannot 
always  find  an  excuse. 

I  have  spoken  of  commending  Solitary,  Compan- 
ionable, Social  and  Public  Prayer. 

Prayer  in  solitude  is  the  best,  and  I  know  not  but 
the  only  real  test  of  a  man's  piety.  Secret  prayer 
shows  best  how  deep  and  real  is  our  faith  in  God  — 
his  presence,  his  love,  his  providence.  Jesus  said 
much  in  behalf  of  secret  prayer, —  entering  the  clos- 
et and  shutting  the  door,  and  praying  to  the  Father 
who  seeth  in  secret  and  will  reward  openly.  But  se- 
cret prayer  is  not  always  secresy  of  place.     No ;  we 


PRAYER.  283 

can  go  into  ourselves  amid  the  crowd  and  pray  ;  the 
mariner  at  the  hehn,  the  sailor  boy  on  the  mast,  the 
sentinel  at  his  watch  in  the  deep  night,  may  be  in 
secret  and  can  pray  ;  but  the  sternest  want  of  the 
uplifting  and  guiding  power  of  prayer  is  felt  in  the 
crowd,  amid  excitements,  v^^hen  temptation  besets  the 
soul ;  and  the  poet  did  well,  when,  iu  writing^  of 
prayer,  he  said, — 

*'  If  it  is  e'er  denied  thee 

In  solitude  to  pray, 
Should  holy  thoughts  come  o'er  thee 

When  friends  are  round  thy  way, 
E'en  then  the  silent  breathing, 

Thy  spirit  raised  above, 
Will  reach  his  throne  of  glory, 

Where  dwells  eternal  love." 

But  out  of  solitude  we  come  to  find  dear  compan 
ionships,  and  then  prayer  is  needed.  Mutual  prayer 
gives  the  dearest  sanctity  to  wedded  love  ;  and  where 
wedded  life  has  been  preceded  by  companionable 
prayer  —  hopes  and  desires  carried  to  Heaven  for  its 
blessing,  the  best  promises  of  happiness  have  been 
given.  What  burdens  might  be  lifted  from  the  soul 
by  the  prevailing  prayer  of  the  bosom  companion ! 
what  energy  given  to  the  discouraged,  what  careful- 
ness to  the  prosperous,  wliat  comfort  to  the  dying  and 
the  bereaved  !  It  is  not  enough  to  talk  over  joy  and 
sorrow,  births  and  deaths  ;  they  should  be  prayed 
over ;  and  how  much  easier  would  dissentions  be 
healed,  and  healed  without  a  scar,  were  prayer  to 
sanctify   the   hour   of    returning   peace   and  unity ! 


284  PRAYER. 

There  come  hours  to  ns  all  when  no  diviner  relief 
can  be  granted  than  is  to  be  brought  by  the  voice 
dearest  of  all  earth's  sounds  heard  supplicating  God 
for  us,  pleading  at  the  throne  with  that  intonation  of 
love  that  won  us  first  and  holds  us  still.  In  sickness, 
when  the  shadow  of  deep  gloom  is  on  the  soul,  when 
the  demon  of  wrath  is  in  the  breast,  when  the  holiest 
vows  are  violated,  then  the  kneeling  form,  the  clasped 
hands,  the  face  radiant  Avith  the  great  thought  of  God 
and  his  grace,  and  the  tremulous  voice  crying  unto  the 
Invisible  Father,  have  done  a  work  that  nothing  else 
could  do — a  beautiful  work  in  the  soul.  Compan- 
ionable prayer  is  the  grand  protector  of  the  tenderest 
feelings,  the  holiest  aftcctions  ;  for  they  who  have 
prayed  together  surely  have  one  restraint  more  against 
sin  —  one  living  cord  added  to  the  band  that  binds 
them  to  each  other  and  to  virtue  —  one  plank  more 
to  save  them  in  the  stormy  sea.  How  many  guilty 
pleasures  would  be  escaped  if  the  proposition  for  the 
new  indulgence  was  pondered  with  prayer.  What  a 
flash  of  celestial  light  would  such  an  exercise  bring 
down  on  the  demon  of  evil !  The  cup  of  the  tempter 
is  dropped  at  once,  and  the  soul  is  saved. 

These  forms  of  the  exercise  of  Prayer  lead  us  out 
into  the  Family,  the  Social  Circle  and  Public  Wor- 
ship. Family  prayer  has  many  benefits.  W^here  it  is 
not  formal,  but  ever  fresh  and  living,  it  is  encouraging 
to  every  thing  good  and  restraining  to  every  thing  evil. 
And  beyond  this  in  the  Social  Circle  and  the  Con- 
ference room,  the  place  of  Prayer  and  Praise  where  a 
few  meet  to  help  each  other  in  the  way  of  holiness, 


PRAYER.  285 

why  should  tlie  praying  be  confined  to  so  few  ?  Why 
is  the  absence  of  the  Minister  so  grievous  a  thing 
when  his  phice  can  be  easily  filled  except  at  the  time 
of  Prayer  ?  I  own  the  greater  sanctity  attached  to 
prayer  —  the  awe  which  hushes  the  lip  ;  but  there  is 
too  much  hindrance  from  the  consciousness  of  not 
excelling  in  this  service,  and  perhaps  more  in  the 
harsh  and  wicked  criticisms  on  the  painful  but  heroic 
effort.  Well  do  I  remember  the  first  attempt  of  a 
brother  in  social  prayer.  It  was  a  wild  night  in  Win- 
ter. We  had  literally  crept  over  the  glassy  and  wet 
ice  to  our  place  of  Conference,  each  with  a  lantern  to 
light  his  way.  We  were  a  new  band  in  the  place  of 
my  first  settlement  in  the  ministry,  and  we  felt  bound 
to  have  our  meetings  and  to  improve  them.  This 
night  was  a  memorable  one  ;  and  when  suddenly  a  lay 
brother,  now  in  heaven  after  a  triumphant  death, 
broke  the  silence  with  prayer,  there  was  a  power,  a 
pathos  in  his  tremulous  voice,  that  penetrated  to  the 
centre  of  the  soul,  and  woke  to  life  all  the  slumbering 
feelings  of  our  moral  nature.  Why  should  it  not 
oftener  be  so  ?  It  will  be  so  when  more  of  the  spirit 
of  the  Disciple  in  our  text  is  known.  Would  that  we 
knew  more  of  him  !  what  use  he  made  of  the  Master's 
teachings  ;  for  it  may  be  his  voice,  iised  in  solitude, 
helped  many  a  companion  in  the  path  of  life,  and  it 
may  be  gave  holiness  to  the  family  gathering,  the 
Conference  circle,  and  the  Sabbath  day  worship  of  the 
saints. 


SEPtMON     XXIX 


THE    MINUTENESS    OF     DIVINE     PROVIDENCE. 

Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread.— Matt.  vi.  11. 

It  seems,  at  first  sight,  a  great  descent,  when  we 
contrast  this  petition  with  the  one  that  precedes  it  in 
the  record. 

That  carries  us  to  heaven  —  to  the  multitude  of 
spirits  who,  with  unwearied  strength,  do  the  will  of 
God,  presenting  the  grand  harmony  to  which  we 
should  strive  to  have  earth  conformed.  This  brings 
us  down  to  the  perishable  things  of  earth  —  to  this 
mortal  body,  which,  with  all  its  wonders,  is  neverthe- 
less as  dependant  for  its  life  on  food  as  the  humblest 
animal  of  the  field  or  the  forest. 

And  yet  how  intimate  is  the  connection  of  these 
petitions,  and  how  finely  the  union  shows  the  com- 
prehensiveness of  our  Lord !  In  all  ages,  religionists 
have  attempted  to  help  tlie  soul  by  abu^^ing  the  body. 
There  has  always  been  too  much  of  that  "  will-wor- 
ship," of  which  the  Apostle  spake  to  the  church  at 


THE   MINUTENESS   OF   DIVINE   PROVIDENCE.         287 

Colosse,  wliicli  impelled  to  the  neglecting  of  the  body 
and  the  non-satisfying  of  the  flesh.  To  honor  the  body 
has  been  a  matter  of  small  consequence,  and,  by  de- 
nying its  appetites  and  quenching  its  desires,  the  hope 
has  been  cherished  of  making  the  body  etherial,  so 
that  it  might  overcome  the  gravitation  of  the  earth, 
and  find  the  path  which  Enoch  took  to  immortal- 
ity. 

Jesus  had  no  sympathy  with  this  foolishness.  He 
did  not  live  in  this  world  without  seeing  the  ample 
provisions  of  Almighty  bounty  for  the  sustenance  of 
the  body  —  for  the  gratification  of  those  desires  which 
are  as  innocent  as  the  first  thought  of  the  child  con- 
cerning the  stars.  And  it  is  instructive  in  the  high- 
est degree  to  collect,  in  review  before  us,  the  instances 
where  our  Lord  showed  his  regard  for  the  body  — 
where  he  himself  ate  and  drank,  slept  and  rested, 
sought  quietness  after  a  laborious  and  agitating  day, 
and  exercised  his  miraculous  power  to  feed  the  thou- 
sands who  otherwise  would  have  fainted  on  their 
homeward  way.  And  so  also  when  the  throng  was  so 
great  about  him  and  his  disciples  that  they  had  no 
leisure  so  much  as  to  eat,  he  compassionately  took 
those  disciples  aside  into  a  quiet  and  secluded  place, 
that  the  body  might  be  cared  for.  To  the  last,  this 
breadth  of  thought  went  with  him.  It  was  shown  in 
Gethsemane  ;  it  was  shown  on  the  Cross. 

In  the  garden  of  his  agony  he  was  alone,  and  they 
who  should  have  been  watchful  to  guard  him  from 
intrusion,  slept.  He  came  —  he  beheld  them  asleep. 
His  first  thought  was  a  reproach,  but  a  kindlier  senti- 


288        THE   MINUTENESS   OF   DIVINE   PROVIDENCE. 

ment  immediately  succeeded.  "  The  spirit  indeed  is 
willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak."  "  Sleep  on  now  and 
take  your  rest."  And  in  his  next  word  was  implied  the 
idea,  that  the  agitating  morrow  Avould  demand  all  the 
strength  they  could  nourish  by  the  sleep  of  that  fear- 
ful night. 

So  also  on  the  Cross.  When  his  agony  was  at  the 
height,  and  the  wildest  cry  that  ever  broke  from  his 
lips  sounded  on  the  air,  he  resolved,  the  oppression  of 
soul  into  the  fevered  condition  of  the  torn  and  lacera- 
ted body,  and  exclaimed,  "  I  thirst,"  and  when  the 
pungent  vinegar  touched  his  lips,  and  ran  with  its 
quickening  balm  over  ten  thousand  nerves,  it  was  to 
him  like  a  master  touch  on  the  harp  of  a  thousand 
strings,  that  brought  them  all  in  tune,  for  the  soul 
resumed  its  serenity,  its  majesty,  and  filial  greatness, 
as  he  said,  "  It  is  finished  !  Father,  into  thy  hands  I 
commend  my  spirit,"  —  and  died. 

Thus  is  shadowed  forth  the  interest  which  Chris- 
tianity takes  in  the  body  ;  and  when  the  great  aim 
to  do  God's  will  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven,  is 
before  the  soul,  and  the  body  rises  as  a  great  obsta- 
cle in  the  way,  the  proper  balance  may  be  restored  to 
tlie  thoughts  by  the  prayer,  "  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread." 

"  We  need  not  bid,  for  cloistered  cell, 
Our  neighbor  and  our  work  farewell, 
Kor  strive  to  wind  ourselves  too  high 
For  sinful  man  beneath  the  sky," 


THE   MINUTENESS   OF   DIVINE   PROVIDENCE.         289 

Here,  then,  is  suggested  the  doctrine  of  our 
text. 

The  great  question  of  theologians  has  been, — When 
the  soul  strives  to  do  God's  will  as  the  heavenly  in- 
habitants do  it,  how  shall  it  overcome  its  tendency  to 
sin,  its  downwards  habits,  its  alienation  from  perfect 
obedience  ? 

This  is  the  great  mystery.  It  is  the  source  of  all 
the  various  doctrines  of  Divine  Influence,  from  the 
theory  of  irresistible  and  sovereign  Grace,  to  the  idea 
of  the  Quietists  and  the  Quakers,  that  when  they 
"  center  down  "  into  their  own  minds,  and  put  to  rest 
all  their  natural  faculties  and  thoughts,  the  Divine 
Spirit  will  come  with  its  impulses  and  intimations 
to  lead  the  soul  to  good  and  to  good  only  All  these 
many  theories  of  Divine  Influence  are  instructive. 
They  all  have  some  glimmering  of  the  vital  truth.  At 
least,  they  all  admit  the  necessity  for  such  an  influ- 
ence, and  that  such  an  influence  is  somehow  given. 
This  is  a  grand  unity  of  thought,  and  beautifully  was 
it  set  forth  outside  of  the  church  of  Revelation,  in 
Grecian  mythology,  where,  in  the  touching  story  of 
Psyche,  the  union  of  the  Divine  and  the  Human  for 
the  restoration  of  man,  was  intimated. 

And  nothing  is  more  needed  than  this  doctrine  — 
God's  readiness  to  help  the  struggling  soul-—  to  make 
more  than  the  stars  to  figlit  on  the  side  of  the  faithful 
by  infusing  his  own  spirit  into  the  centre  of  our 
being  and  uniting  all  the  faculties  in  the  harmony  of 
obedience. 

25 


290         THE   MINUTENESS   OF   DIVINE   PROVIDENCE. 

Jesus  taught  this  doctrme  most  boldly — most  touch- 
ingly.  His  great  doctrine  of  the  Fatherhood  and  con- 
sequent eternal  interest  in  the  education  of  each  soul, 
poured  an  endless  light  on  the  whole  field  of  inquiry, 
for  what  is  a  Father's  love  but  the  infusion  of  what- 
ever is  good  in  himself  for  the  elevation  of  his  chil- 
dren ?  It  is  his  glory  to  give  dominion  to  that  which 
enobles  —  which  truly  educates  ;  and  faint  and  feeble 
are  our  conceptions  of  the  Divine  Fatherhood  till  we 
see  God  more  present  with  the  soul  than  any  earthly 
parent  can  be,  communicating  his  own  spirit,  and  so 
imparting  help  to  rise,  that  the  soul  is  left  without  ex- 
cuse for  continuing  in  sin. 

It  is  a  great  thing  to  discern  how  manifold  is  this 
grace,  this  influence  of  God.  It  comes  to  us  from 
every  form  of  the  beautiful  and  the  harmonious.  All 
music  and  poetry  expresses  it.  Everything  that  stirs 
in  our  hearts  an  aspiration  after  excellence ;  the 
longing  for  a  purer  love  ;  the  desire  for  more  of  com- 
munion with  the  saintly  and  the  good,  infuses  this 
divine  influence  into  our  souls. 

It  is  a  happy  thing  to  find  a  religious  faith  that 
sanctions  such  a  comprehensive  acknowledgment  of 
God's  aid,  for  one  of  the  prominent  evils  of  a  narrow 
religion  lies  in  its  confining  divine  aid  to  one  channel 
- —  to  one  method  of  operation  ;  sometimes  the  church, 
sometimes  the  priesthood,  sometimes  special  occasions 
of  religious  excitement  or  concern ;  whereas  to  our 
view  God  is  ever  present,  and  the  sun  in  the  heavens 
is  no  more  ready  to  impart  light  and  \Yarmth  to  the 


THE  MINUTENESS  OF  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE.    291 

earth  tlian  God  is  to  give  his  spirit  to  his  moral  crea- 
tures. 

Christianity  is  God's  chief  manifestation  and  gift  of 
himself.  Everything  is  glorious  just  in  proportion  as 
God  has  communicated  himself  to  it,  or  is  to  be  seen 
in  or  by  it ;  and  in  the  Gospel  he  has  shown  the  most 
of  himself,  and  has  given  the  most  of  himself,  for  the 
restoration  of  man. 

And  how  can  we  travel  up  the  grand  heights  of 
this  truth  but  by  a  right  beginning ;  by  treading 
firmly,  reverently  and  gratefully  on  the  first  step ; 
that  which  enables  us  to  pray,  "  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread."  If  for  our  bodily  wants  ;  if  for  that  by 
which  we  feed  the  mystic  torch  of  life ;  if  for  our 
bread,  and  the  bread  for  a  single  day,  we  can  pray, 
what  is  there,  in  all  the  vast  round  of  human  wants, 
that  may  not  be  prayed  for  and  expected  of  God  ? 

Our  daily  bread  1  What  is  more  common  ?  what  is 
more  needful  ?  what  can  better  show  divine  Provi- 
dence and  its  minuteness  than  to  connect  that  with 
the  idea  of  God  and  his  goodness  ? 

A  God  to  whom  such  a  prayer  can  be  offered  as 
"  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  cannot  be  an 
epicurean  Deity ;  he  is  no  Stoic's  God  ;  he  cannot  be 
transformed  into  a  cold  law,  or  be  hidden  away  be- 
hind the  forces  of  nature  and  kept  apart  from  human 
souls.  No  ;  he  is  an  intimate  Deity,  and  the  picture 
wliich  the  Psalmist  gives  of  Israel's  God,  opening  his 
hand  and  supplying  the  wants  of  every  living  thing, 
may  be  transferred  to  the  infinite  Father  of  the  Gos- 
pel.    He  is  the  great  Bread-Giver.     Mindfulness  of 


292  THE   MINUTENESS    OF   DIVINE   PROYIDENCE. 

this  want  is  but  a  symbol  of  his  mindfuhiess  of  all 
wants. 

Not  discerning  this  idea,  theologians  have  tried  to 
give  significance  and  dignity  to  the  petition  now  be- 
fore us  by  making  it  signify  a  reference  to  spiritual 
bread.  This  will  not  do.  The  idea  is,  Give  us  bread 
needful  for  the  sustenance  of  life.  Man  does  not,  in- 
deed, live  by  bread  alone,  but  he  does  partly ;  and 
when  the  divine  Providence  is  connected  with  the 
commonest  blessing,  what  is  the  inference  —  the  great 
doctrine  of  that  idea  but  this :  God  is  to  be  remem- 
bered in  all  things,  and  we  are  to  be  mindful  of  that 
imitation  of  him  by  which  we  shall  regard  the  hum- 
blest wants  of  humanity. 

This  gives  a  breadth  of  meaning  to  the  doing  of 
God's  will  on  earth  that  no  other  idea  can  impart. 
It  links  us  as  God  is  linked  with  humanity  every 
where,  and  the  giving  of  bread  may  be  as  dignified 
and  important  an  employment  as  imparting  the  Gos- 
pel. A  loaf  of  bread  gives  sometimes  the  most  sub- 
stantial sermon.  "  What  doth  it  profit  ?"  asks  St. 
James,  "  If  a  brother  or  sister  be  naked  and  desti- 
tute of  daily  food,  and  one  of  you  say  unto  them, 
Depart  in  peace,  be  warmed  and  filled,  notwithstand- 
ing ye  give  them  not  those  things  which  are  needful 
to  the  body,  what  doth  it  profit  ?"  It  is  very  pious, 
so  far  as  the  evangelical  tone  may  go,  to  say  to  the 
poor,  "  Depart  in  peace  ;  be  warmed  and  filled.'*  It 
may  express  a  very  kind  interest  in  them ;  a  desire 
that  they  may  be  warmed  and  filled,  and  live  happily  ; 
but  what  is  this  to  the  perishing  one,  who  cannot  live 


THE   MINUTENESS    OF   DIVINE   PROVIDENCE.         293 

Oil  tones,  cand  words,  and  sympathetic  desires  ?  What 
is  this  as  an  imitation  of  God  ? 

Yes,  even  when  the  hungry  and  naked  may  he  evil, 
wliere  is  the  justification  in  the  great  doctrine  of 
Providence  for  withhokling  that  which  is  needful  to 
keep  them  from  perishing  ?  "I  will  not,"  said  a  min- 
ister lately,  "  help  feed  those  in  winter  who  serve  the 
devil  in  the  summer."  And  what  would  he  do  ? 
Leave  them  to  serve  the  same  master  in  the  winter, 
while  he  repeats  the  Saviour's  words,  and  talks  elo- 
quently of  divine  Providence  from  whose  sheltering 
wings  drop  hlessings  for  even  "  the  evil  and  the  un- 
thankful." 

Poorly  dwells  the  love  of  God  in  that  man  who 
withholds  the  gift  of  daily  hread  where  it  might  draw 
a  soul  away  from  the  service  of  Satan.  The  church 
is  often  less  humane  than  the  State.  It  has  less 
breadth  of  charity ;  less  regard  for  our  common  hu- 
manity ;  less  of  imitation  of  that  munificence  to 
which  we  lift  our  prayer  —  "Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread." 

"  The  Bread  Question  "  has  been  in  many  nations 
a  great  question ;  and  only  as  the  broadest  humanity 
and  the  most  Christian  spirit  are  embodied  in  our 
theories  for  the  relief  and  extinguishment  of  pauper- 
ism, can  we  expect  to  advance  in  duty. 

And  never  can  we  be  right  till  we  have  caught  an 
enduring  spirit  of  forbearance  and  long-suffering 
towards  the  destitute  and  the  sinful. 

To-day  we  are  to  eat  bread  as  a  symbol  of  God's 
crowning  gift,  and  it  shall  speak  to  us,  that  as  this 
25* 


294    THE  MINUTENESS  OF  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE. 

food  admirably  answers  the  first  need  of  the  body,  so 
the  Gospel  answers  the  first  need  of  the  soul.  "  The 
bread  of  God  is  he  which  cometh  down  from  heaven 
and  giveth  life  unto  the  world."  And  well  may  we 
sum  up  all  our  thoughts  in  the  familiar  verse, 

"  Guide  me,  O  thou  great  Jehovah, 

Pilgrim  through  this  mortal  land  j 
I  am  weak,  but  thou  art  mighty  ; 

Hold  me  with  thy  powerful  hand  I 
Bread  of  Heaven, 
Feed  me  till  I  want  no  more  I" 


SERMON    XXX 


FORGIVENESS. 

And  roRGiVB  us  our  debts  as  wk  forgive  our  debtors.— Matt.  vi.  'i2r 

Tlie  law  of  moral  reciprocity,  wliieh  holds  through- 
out the  universe,  is  here  recognized.  We  can  ask  for 
only  what  we  give.  Love  is  the  only  loan  for  love  ; 
and  however  a  naan  may  deceive  himself,  he  really 
brings  to  himself  the  spirit  he  expresses.  Right  and 
wrong  in  the  soul  are  as  the  clear  or  flawed  glass  in 
our  windows,  that  lets  in  the  rays  of  the  sun  as  they 
flashed  from  their  source,  or  perverts  and  twists  them, 
making  monstrous  the  objects  of  sight  which  are 
really  beautiful. 

Thus  we  are  constantly  finding  the  experience  that 
properly  belongs  to  us,  and  as  is  our  spirit,  so  our 
life  must  inevitably  be. 

Just  as  true  is  this  maxim,  when  applied  to  the  re- 
lations of  man  to  God.  The  glory  of  the  morality 
of  the  Gospel  lies  in  the  fact  that  God  accepts  no 
homage  where  the  spirit  of  the  worshipper  is  alien 
from  man.     The  friendliness  of  the  Almighty  towards 


298  FORGIVENESS. 

man  is  seen  most  unequivocally  here.  God  was  and 
is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself.  The 
ground  of  forgiveness  with  him  is  forgiveness  of  man 
towards  man.  This  only  can  show  that  the  man 
knows  God ;  tliat  he  really  has  apprehended  the  ob- 
ject of  worship ;  that  he  has  caught  any  thing  of  his 
spirit ;  that  he  is  impelled  to  pray  with  any  thing  of 
just  preparation  or  regard  for  the  great  offices  of  reli- 
gion. How  important,  then,  is  the  doctrine  of  free 
grace  which  flashes  out  from  this  portion  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer :  "  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread, 
and  forgive  us  our  debts  as  we  forgive  our  debtors." 

One  of-  the  great  questions  of  theology,  and  which 
perhaps  has  as  much  as  any  thing  to  do  with  dictating 
the  various  interpretations  of  the  New  Testament,  is 
this :  What  are  the  conditions  of  divine  forgiveness  ? 
How  are  we  to  obtain  that  inflowing  of  pardoning 
grace  by  which  the  life  of  our  souls  is  fed,  as  bread 
feeds  the  body  ? 

This  is  as  much  a  practical  as  it  is  a  theological 
matter. 

God's  grace  is  the  life  of  all  genuine  godliness  and 
morality.  Our  "  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God." 
How  shall  we  get  at  that  life  ?  How  shall  it  be  trans- 
mitted ? 

That  there  are  laws  of  transmission,  conditions  to 
be  attended  to,  is  as  certain  as  in  the  transmission  of 
the  telegraphic  message. 

The  great  mystery  seems  to  be,  to  fathom  the  con- 
ditions connected  with  the  reception  of  divine  grace. 
When  we  look  into  religious  biographies,  what  is  it 


FORGIVENESS.  297 

that  makes  the  majority  of  them  so  sombre,  so  dis- 
tasteful to  the  youDg,  so  apt  to  give  to  the  reader  un- 
attractive impressions  of  religion  ?  The  cliief  reason 
of  this  lies  in  the  horrible  ideas  cherished  concerning 
the  divine  forgiveness,  its  law,  its  conditions,  the 
method  of  its  transmission.  It  is  all  outside  of  the 
soul ;  having  no  analogy  in  any  kind  act  of  man  to- 
wards man,  but  separate  and  distinct  from  all  the  ex- 
ercises of  genuine  forgiveness  in  this  world  of  ours. 

And  if  thus  the  forgiveness  of  God  is  made  a  mat- 
ter foreign  from  every  thing  we  call  forgiveness  on 
the  part  of  man,  how  can  it  be  made  a  practical  thing 
to  help  the  harmony  of  social  life;  to  add  to  the 
sweets  of  home ;  to  extract  from  our  pillows  the 
thorns  which  disturb  sleep  and  that  prick  imagination 
to  the  painting  of  terrible  dreams,  so  that  all  may  be 
made  smooth  as  the  rose  which  the  lover  gives  to  his 
mistress  robbed  of  all  that  can  wound  ? 

0,  after  all  our  speculations,  there  is  nothing  so 
vital  to  human  happiness  as  right  views  of  God.  All 
the  disunion  of  our  race,  the  Saviour  resolved  into 
ignorance  of  God.  "  0  righteous  Father,"  he  said, 
"  the  world  hath  not  known  thee."  His  own  spirit  of 
love  was  caught  from  kno-rt^ledge  of  that.  Father 
"  But  I  have  known  thee  I"  and  he  looked  to  the  har- 
mony of  his  disciples,  and,  through  them,  of  the 
world,  because  he  knew  God  would  be  known.  It  is 
love  which  springs  from  the  knowledge  of  God  that 
the  world  needs  for  its  regeneration  ;  and  hence  Jesus 
defined  eternal  life  to  be,  the  knowledge  of  God  and 
of  himself — his  relation  to  the  world  as  the  exponent 


298  FORGIVENESS. 

of  God,  so  that  to  see  him,  in  the  breadth  and  great- 
ness of  what  he  is,  is  to  see  the  Father. 

What  means  the  stupendous  array  of  powers  which 
God  has  made  to  reveal  himself,  if  right  thought  be 
not  the  foundation  of  religion  ?  "  Love,  and  not  doc- 
trine, is  religion,"  we  are  told ;  but  how  has  the  love 
of  mankind  been  made,  from  age  to  age,  a  nobler  and 
more  philanthropic  thing,  but  by  new  doctrine,  new 
ideas,  new  thoughts  ?  The  philanthropic  element  in 
literature  is  a  matter  worthy  of  the  good  man's  study, 
but  what  is  that  but  the  power  of  thought,  the  force 
of  ideas,  which,  by  their  breadth  of  generous  views 
of  man  and  society,  inspire  love  ?  The  thoughts 
which  most  richly  inspire  love  are  the  treasures  of 
the  race,  which  the  world  will  not  willingly  see  given 
to  oblivion.  Republicanism  is  a  thought,  an  idea, 
and  it  breathes  a  broader  love  for  humanity ;  but 
where  would  the  love  be  without  the  thought,  the 
idea  ? 

See  Europe,  with  its  mighty  armies  holding  back 
free  thought,  maintaining  the  reaction  of  the  revolu- 
tions of  '48,  and  how  has  love  narrowed,  and  the  bit- 
ter sarcasm  told  its  story,  as  the  cannon  balls  have 
been  held  up  in  the  streets  of  Rome,  and  styled  the 
sugar-plums  which  the  Pope  sent  to  his  cliildren. 

We  talk  of  the  "  religious  sentiment,"  and  all 
around  us  we  are  told,  by  those  Avho  would  be  liberal, 
that  "  religion  is  sentiment,  and  not  doctrine  ;"  now 
wliat  is  sentiment  but  tliat  which  makes  intelligent? 
and  hence  its  synonyme,  perception,  or  opinion.  And 
finely  has  it  been  said,  "  The  seraphic  rapture  is  the 


FORGIVENESS.  299 

lire  of  an  intellectual  conception ;"  and  tlie  writer 
might  have  added,  that  every  picture  of  the  cheru- 
bim, who  are  said  to  love  the  most,  is  a  picture  of  the 
mind  bent  on  knowing  more  of  God  and  his  methods 
that  it  may  love  the  more.  Hence  the  great  need  of 
penetrating  to  the  doctrine  of  the  text,  and  making 
it  clear  in  our  minds,  that  we  may  have  the  spirit  of 
heavenly  forgiveness.  Truly  did  Coleridge  say,  "  It 
is  only  by  celestial  observations  that  terrestrial  charts 
can  be  constructed  scientifically."  And  when  on 
shipboard,  out  at  sea,  we  would  know  the  strange 
windings  which  the  ship  makes  on  its  way,  how  can 
we  so  easily  do  it  as  by  standing  close  to  the  main- 
mast, and  looking  to  the  heavens,  see  how  the  topmost 
extremity  of  the  mast  is  seen  to  swoop  from  star  to 
to  star,  tracing  in  the  firmament,  as  it  were,  diagrams 
of  the  ship's  movements,  more  strange  than  the  wand- 
erings of  Israel  in  the  wilderness. 

The  strength  of  the  text  lies,  in  the  comparison 
there  used, — "  Forgive  us  our  debts  as  we  forgive  our 
debtors." 

That  this  is  the  force  of  the  text  is  evident  from 
the  remarkable  fact,  that  immediately  on  ending  the 
prayer,  our  Lord  recurred  to  this  petition  and  en- 
forced it  anew.  It  was,  it  would  seem,  the  grand 
thing  for  man's  consideration  that  he  might  be  true 
to  all  the  rest,  by  having  the  appropriate  spirit. 

Jesus  closed  the  prayer,  and  as  though  our  text 
was  lingering  most  prominently  in  the  minds  of  his 
hearers,  he  added,  "  For  if  ye  forgive  men  their  tres- 
passes, your  heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive  you  ; 


300  FORGIVENESS. 

but  if  ye  forgive  not  men  their  trespasses,  neither 
will  your  Father  forgive  your  trespasses." 

It  was  on  being  asked  respecting  the  exercise  of 
forgiveness,  the  extent  to  which  it  should  be  carried, 
that  Jesus  gave  the  direction  to  forgive  "  seventy 
times  seven,"  so  that  the  memorable  cry  burst  forth, 
''  Lord,  increase  our  faith  !"  Yes,  increase  our  faith 
that  our  love  may  be  increased,  as  the  depth  of  the 
fountain  gives  fulness  to  the  stream.  And  how 
deep  the  fountain  may  be,  was  shown  by  that  jet 
which  sprung  up  in  front  of  the  Cross,  when  Jesus 
prayed,  and  apologetically  too,  for  his  murderers. 

Let  us  dwell  for  a  moment  on  that  prayer,  that 
great  and  divine  act  of  forgiveness. 

It  was  harmonious  with  his  whole  —  the  grand 
product  of  unnumbered  deeds  of  love  towards  the 
wrong-doers.  It  was  made  in  an  act  of  prayer,  when 
the  soul  takes  the  humblest  and  most  sacred  posi- 
tion, and  pours  the  fervency  of  the  whole  being  into 
the  act.  It  was  done  when  every  moment  brought 
some  new  act  of  wrong,  and  when  the  bodily  agonies 
of  the  sufferer  might  well  have  engrossed  'all  atten- 
tion. It  was  attended  with  an  apology  professed  as 
a  reason  for  forgiveness,  showing  that  nothing  was 
kept  back  in  the  thoughts  ;  but  that  the  whole  being 
was  expressed  in  the  act.  Joseph  was  in  triumph 
when  he  forgave ;  Socrates  had  his  hand  kissed  by 
the  executioner  he  pardoned ;  and  David  was  lenient 
in  the  cave  of  Engedi  to  his  king.  The  reverse  of 
all  this  attended  Jesus. 

This  spirit  that  secures  forgiveness  when  exercised 


FORGIVENESS.  301 

by  the  sinful,  keeps  the  righteous  soul  from  sin.  How 
could  Jesus  sin  with  such  a  love  as  he  expressed  ? 
How  much  of  his  spirit  we  need  to  make  a  clean  heart 
while  we  pray,  "  Forgive  us  our  debts. '^ 

^6'  we  forgive  so  forgive  us.  We  acknowledge  our 
sinfulness  in  this  petition  ;  we  desire  to  have  that  sin- 
fulness removed  —  not  merely  the  punishment  due  sin, 
but  the  sin  itself —  the  sickness  that  causes  pain  that 
the  pain  may  go,  and  that  we  may  know  the  deli- 
ciousness  of  health.  God's  forgiveness  to  the  soul ! 
what  is  there  in  all  the  round  of  blessings  like  it  1 
"Without  it,  power  shall  be  weakness ;  genius  a  con- 
suming flame  ;  the  stores  of  wealth  but  mockery, 
and  the  earth's  beauty  an  accusation  and  a  terror. 

What,  what  can  be  more  important  then,  than  the 
knowledge  of  God's  method  in  transmitting  forgive- 
ness ?  Nothing  can  exceed  the  value  of  the  doctrine 
intimated  in  the  text  —  the  doctrine  of  Free  Grace, 
which  only  asks  that  we  remove  all  hatred  from  our 
hearts  by  catching  its  own  spirit  of  ceaseless  love. 

Here  is  the  necessity  for  keepmg  distinct  the  nature 
of  God  as  Love. 

How  absurd  in  contrast  with  this  is  the  popular 
doctrine  of  vicarious  or  substituted  punishment !  God 
hemmed  in,  bylaws  imposed  by  himself  upon  himself, 
so  that  no  forgiveness  could  be  imparted  till  an  inno- 
cent being  took  upon  himself  the  punishment  due  to 
sinful  man  —  not  only  the  punishment  due  to  sin 
already  committed,  but.  horrible  to  say,  also  the  pun- 
ishment that  might  be  due  from  the  sins  that  might 
be  committed  after  the  crucifixion !  How,  tell  us,  ye 
26 


802  FORGIVENESS. 

theologians  of  wrath,  how  is  vengeance  put  away  by 
being  transferred  to  an  innocent  person  ?  Rob  Roy, 
the  freebooter  of  Scotland,  when  he  died,  forgave,  he 
said,  his  foes,  but  left  his  curse  for  his  son,  if  that  son 
should  forgive  them.  In  the  para])le  of  the  Debtors, 
our  Lord  did  not  make  the  Creditor  demand  pay  from 
some  other  person.  No ;  when  he  saw  they  had 
nothing  with  which  to  pay  him,  "  he  frankly  forgave 
them  both,"  and  the  question  was,  "  Which  of  them 
would  love  the  most?"  Our  Lord  commended  the 
answer  that  said.  He  to  whom  the  most  was  forgiven. 
Here  is  the  law  of  love.  The  more  frank  the  exer- 
cise of  kindness  the  greater  the  love  it  excites.  Love 
forced  out  is  no  love,  no  more  than  galvanized  brass 
is  gold. 

And  to  my  mind  there  is  no  more  horrible  idea 
than  that  involved  in  the  common  doctrine  of  Substi- 
tuted Punishment,  that  presents  God  as  demanding 
not  only  payment  for  all  the  debts  of  humanity  con- 
tracted before  the  Crucifixion,  but  also  for  all  that 
might  be  contracted  till  time  shall  be  no  more.  This 
makes  the  poet's  lines  applicable,  as  the  speech  of  the 
Father : 

"  My  falling  glories 
Being  made  up  again,  and  cemented 
With  my  Sons's  blood." 

From  what  treasury  did  Jesus  draw  from,  according 
to  this  idea  ?  Where  did  he  get  this  love  for  hu- 
manity ?  Not  from  God,  for  God  made  the  demand  ; 
and  as  reasonably  may  the  law  of  Venice  be  supposed 
to  have  imparted  the  benevolence  of  Bassanio's  friend, 


FORGIVENESS.  303 

as  that  God  gave  to  Jesus  the  love  that  impelled  him 
to  die,,  if  the  common  doctrine  be  true.  That  doc- 
trine describes  God  as  forsaking  Jesus  on  the  Cross  ; 
and  as  God  retreats  He  pours  out  wrath  while  the 
sublimest  exhibition  of  love  to  man  is  made  ;  but 
inspiration  declares,  that  "  by  the  grace  of  God  Jesus 
tasted  death  for  every  man."  As  the  love  of  Christ 
shines  amid  the  darkness  of  human  cruelty,  and  he 
prays  for  his  murderers,  affirming  that  they  murder 
in  ignorance,  what,  0  what  must  be  the  spirit  of 
that  God  who  impelled  the  prayer  and  opened  the 
heavens  to  receive  it !  "  God  so  loved  the  world," 
says  the  Apostle,  "  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  son 
that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life." 

When  did  God  so  love  the  world  ?  Of  course,  be- 
fore he  gave  his  Son  —  while  the  world  was  lying  in 
sin,  and  all  that  Christ  was  or  did  was  but  the  ex- 
pression of  the  Divine  Love.  God  loved  the  rebellious 
and  thus  the  example  is  given  to  prompt  to  forgiving 
kindness.  The  only  thing  in  God  that  "  demands 
full  satisfaction  "  is  his  love  for  the  world.  What  an 
emphasis  does  this  give  to  our  Saviour's  words, — 
"  When  ye  stand  praying,  forgive,  if  ye  have  ought 
against  any."  He  was  nourishing  the  spirit  that 
could  do  all  he  commanded  even  amid  the  agonies  of 
the  most  terrible  death  ;  and  we  cannot  have  received 
his  teachings  aright  until  we  see  that  as  God  is 
ready  to  forgive  as  we  put  away  the  spirit  opposite  to 
love,  he  never  could  have  inspired  the  idea  of  substi- 


304  FORGIVENESS. 

tuted  wrath  —  the  common  doctrine  of  the  satisfaction 
of  justice. 

Substitution  but  changes  the  object  of  vengeance, 
and  how  horrible  is  the  idea  so  easily  received  from 
the  pulpit,  that  God  changed  the  object  by  the  accept- 
ance of  an  innocent  being. 

No,  no  !  this  doctrine  has  no  countenance  from  the 
text.  No  man  has  the  boldness  to  claim  that  he  for- 
gives by  a  transfer  of  his  wrath  ;  but  his  forgiveness 
is  something  when  it  flows  from  a  frank,  genial, 
kindly  spirit,  that  shows  itself  superior  to  the  wrong, 
and  that  proves  how  well  he  has  learned  the  truth, 
that  though  our  enemy  have  power  to  wound  us,  to 
wrong  us,  yet  only  ourselves  can  make  the  wrong 
rankle  in  the  heart,  turning  the  sweets  of  life  to  bit- 
terness, and  roiling  up  all  the  morbid  memories  of  a 
life  time. 

0,  it  is  an  hour  of  splendid  triumph  when  we  can 
contemplate  a  bitter  wrong  and  pity  instead  of  hating 
the  wrong-doer.  Our  better  nature  is  supreme  then. 
We  walk  forth  and  no  man's  presence  can  shake  us  — 
no  man's  frown  can  be  the  cloud  of  our  holiday  —  no 
man  has  our  happiness  in  his  keeping.  We  walk 
through  God's  crystal  palace  freely ;  and  when  we 
come  home  —  when  we  go  into  our  solitude  —  where 
the  sanctity  of  God's  presence  is  felt  and  the  lip  moves 
to  prayer,  there  is  no  stammering  in  the  soul,  or  on 
the  tongue,  and  we  pray,  "  Forgive  us  our  debts  as 
we  forgive  our  debtors." 

Forgiveness,  the  most  difficult  and   therefore  the 
most  important  achievement,  is  before  us,  and  the 


FORGIVENESS.  305 

glory  of  our  religion  is,  tliat  it  speaks  so  grandly  of 
free  forgiveness  that  it  stamps  an  unforgiving  spirit 
as  a  sin.  That  spirit,  being  sin,  must  be  put  away 
when  we  ask  to  be  forgiven  of  God.  "  If  a  man  says, 
'  I  love  God,'  and"  hateth  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar." 
"  And  this  commandment  have  we  from  Him,  That 
he  who  loveth  God  loves  his  brother  also."  How 
grand,  then,  is  the  faith  that  holds  up  to  the  constant 
exercise  of  love  to  win  love  —  that  says,  God  will 
never  give  over  the  exercise  of  his  free  grace,  making 
every  beautiful  exhibition  of  human  forgiveness  to  be 
a  type  of  the  endless  love  of  God.  Tasso,  when  told 
of  an  advantage  which  the  turns  of  fortune  had  given 
him  over  an  enemy,  whereby  he  could  deprive  him  of 
both  power  and  wealth,  replied,  "  There  is  but  one 
thing  I  would  take  from  him,  and  that  is  his  ill  will." 
And  Henry  the  Fourth,  speaking  of  one  of  his  ene- 
mies of  League,  said,  "  I  will  do  him  so  much  good 
that  I  will  force  him  to  love  me  in  spite  of  himself." 
Oh  holy  Force  of  Love  !  Thou  movest  on  our  spirits 
as  the  spirit  of  God  over  the  waters,  to  bring  order 
out  of  chaos,  that  light  may  take  the  place  of  dark- 
ness. 


26^ 


SERMON     XXXI. 


CHRISTIAN    LAW    OF   USE. 

Is   IT  NOT    LAWFUL   FOK  ME   TO    DO  WHAT   I    WILL  WITH  MINE   OWN  ? — 

Matt.  XX.  15. 

There  is  a  great  diiFerence  between  asking  this  ques- 
tion with  reference  to  some  special  case,  and  present- 
ing it  as  a  general  proposition.  In  a  single  case,  a 
man's  motive  may  be  so  plain  and  his  purpose  seem 
to  be  so  good  that  there  need  be  no  hesitation  in  com- 
mending his  proposed  action ;  while  in  reference  to 
the  whole  tenor  of  a  man's  life  we  may  not  be  so  sure 
that  his  will  is  right,  or  that  he  feels  correctly  the 
limits  within  which  all  just  use  of  anything  is 
placed. 

The  question  of  the  text  is  easily  answered  in  re- 
ference to  the  case  with  which  it  is  associated  in  our 
Lord's  parable  —  a  parable  in  which  he  read  a  good 
lesson  to  the  selfish  religionists  of  his  day,  and  to  all 
who  imagine  that  they  can  perform  any  labors  that 
will  entitle  them  to  distinguishing  rewards. 


CHRISTIAN   LAW   OF  USE.  307 

Tliis  parable  is  usually  styled,  The  Parable  of  the 
Laborers,  drawn  from  the  Oriental  custom  of  laborers 
arranging  themselves  at  morning  in  the  market  place, 
and  these  being  selected  to  labor  by  those  who  needed 
them  for  the  day.  Early  in  the  morning  a  certain 
owner  of  a  vineyard  engaged  men  to  labor  for  a  stipu- 
lated price  for  the  day  ;  and  subsequently  he  engaged 
others  at  the  third,  sixth,  ninth,  and  the  eleventh 
hours,  and  stipulated  to  give  these  "  whatever  was 
right,"  for  their  toil.  At  sunset,  the  lord  of  the  vine- 
yard, who  had  personally  engaged  these  different 
classes  of  laborers,  directed  his  steward  to  pay  them 
all  alike,  beginning  with  the  last  comers.  When 
those  who  were  first  engaged  came  to  the  steward, 
they  expected  to  receive  more  than  the  others  —  not 
because  more  was  due,  but  because  they  had  wrought 
more  hours  in  the  vineyard.  But  they  received  just 
what  they  had  engaged  to  work  for  ;  their  due  was 
given  them  ;  and  instead  of  rejoicing  that  their  fellow- 
laborers  had  received  a  gratuity,  they  murmured 
against  the  good  man  who  hired  them,  and  said  he 
had  made  those  who  wrought  but  an  hour  equal  unto 
them,  who  had  borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day. 
His  answer  was  plain.  He  said  to  the  spokesman, 
"  Friend,  I  do  thee  no  wrong.  Didst  thou  not  agree 
with  me  for  a  penny.  Take  that  thine  is,  and  go  thy 
way.  I  will  give  unto  this  last  even  as  unto  thee.  Is 
it  not  lawful  for  me  to  do  what  I  will  with  mine  own  ? 
Is  this  thine  eye  evil  because  I  am  good  ?  " 

In  this  parable  our  Lord  answered  those  disciples 
who  imagined  they  must  have  peculiar  rewai'ds,  be- 


308  CHRISTIAN  LAW   OP   USE. 

cause  they  first  engaged  in  his  service.  They  had  en- 
tered the  service  of  a  gracious  Master,  who  not  only 
secured  to  every  laborer  his  dues,  but  who  also  held 
endless  gratuities  in  his  hands. —  who  read  motives, 
appreciated  the  aims  of  each  soul,  and  who  counted  it 
more  sad  to  be  idle  outside  of  the  vineyard  of  Truth 
than  laboring  within. 

The  later  called  had  come  at  the  bidding  of  the 
Lord  of  the  Vineyard,  and  promptness  to  accept  disci- 
pleship  now  will  find  the  Master's  reward  as  in  the 
earliest  days  of  his  earthly  ministry. 

The  conduct  of  the  Lord  of  the  Vineyard  was  a 
touchstone  to  test  the  generosity  or  selfishness  of  the 
first  laborers.  Generosity  would  have  prompted  them 
to  be  glad  at  the  unexpected  bounty  which  the  later 
laborers  were  permitted  to  carry  home ;  but  being 
selfish,  they  fixed  their  thoughts  only  on  some  addi- 
tion to  their  due.  They  were  disappointed  as  selfish- 
ness always  will  be.  Society  rests  on  a  basis  of  gene- 
rosity, and  the  selfish  are  at  war  with  all  the  laws  of 
social  order  and  happiness.  Dissatisfied  with  what 
they  have  earned,  they  want  to  be  made  equal  with 
whoever  may  chance  to  be  favored  of  fortune,  and 
when  they  should  congratulate  a  friend,  they  choose 
to  murmur  at  Providence  and  eat  the  bread  of  bitter- 
ness which  might  have  been  sweetened  with  the 
thought  of  how  much  more  happiness  they  are  sur- 
rounded with  than  would  exist  were  all  men  governed 
only  by  narrow  considerations. 

The  Lord  of  the  Vineyard  did  right  in  appealing  to 
the  rightfulness  of  his  conduct.    The  murmurers  were 


CHRISTIAN   LAW  OF  USE.  809 

too  selfish  for  him  to  make  his  appeal  to  generous  fel- 
low-feeling, and  all  he  could  do  was  to  justify  his  own 
conduct  towards  themselves.  ''  Is  it  not  lawful  to  do 
what  I  will  with  mine  own  ?  "  I  pay  you  all  I  agreed 
to  pay  ;  what  is  it  to  you  if  I  choose  to  bestow  a 
gratuity  on  others  that  sends  them  home  happy  as  if 
they  had  been  hired  at  early  morning  ?  If  you  have 
no  fellow-feeling  —  if  you  cannot  rejoice  at  the  happi- 
ness of  others,  let  this  settle  the  case  between  you 
and  me  —  I  have  a  right  to  do  as  I  will  with  mine 
own.  Having  been  just  to  you,  what  busmess  have 
you  to  murmur  that  I  have  been  generous  to 
others  ? 

This  is  good  doctrine.  Having  been  just,  it  is  law- 
ful, in  the  highest  sense,  to  be  generous  with  one's 
own.  No  man  is  to  be  governed  by  other  people's  ex- 
pectations. The  great  laws  of  human  action  do  not 
receive  their  sanction  from  the  expectations  of  the 
crowd,  and  that  generosity  which  looks  to  the  crowd 
for  applause  will  find  it  gives  an  appetite  that  grows 
as  it  is  fed,  and  is  never  satisfied.  Like  the  ocean, 
whose  grandeur  is  shown  by  the  gale,  and  that  mur- 
murs when  the  winds  die  away,  —  so  popular  applause 
dies  as  the  occasion  passes,  and  whispers  only  discon- 
tent. 

The  question  of  lawfulness  in  the  text  is  based  on  a 
comman  law  of  right.  It  is  always  lawful  for  a  man  to 
give  more  than  is  expected  by  a  laborer  he  has  hired, 
when  by  so  doing  he  violates  the  spirit  of  no  obligation 
towards  others.  It  is  lawful  as  expressive  of  kind  re- 
gard to  the  unfortunate,  and  it  bespeaks  a  desire  to 


310  CHRISTIAN   LAW   OF   USE. 

nobly  use  whatever  of  peculiar  power  may  be  possess- 
ed for  the  time  being. 

It  may  be  that  our  Saviour  had  in  view  some  lord 
of  a  vineyard  whose  heart  had  been  touched  by  the 
Gospel  —  who,  in  compassion  born  of  the  love  which 
only  Christianity  could  inspire,  had  gone  in  the  heat  and 
decline  of  the  day  to  cheer  some  sad  laborers  who 
were  idle  only  because  no  man  had  hired  them  ;  and 
at  the  close  of  the  day,  his  great  heart  thinking  only 
of  making  all  his  toilers  happy  alike,  he  bids  his  stew- 
ard give  every  man  the  same  amount  of  money.  He 
thought,  it  may  be,  not  of  favor  to  this  or  that  class 
at  all,  but  only  of  creating  a  fellow-feeling  of  common 
joy  —  all  going  forth  happy  from  having  been  in  his 
employ. 

And  this  is  the  great  law  which  gives  Christian 
character  to  all  use  of  one's  own  —  no  matter  what  we 
may  now  regard  as  one's  own,  or  possessions.  What- 
ever we  have  by  or  through  which  we  have  an  influence 
over  the  happpiness  of  others,  is  involved  in  the  duty 
before  us.  None  of  us  can  be  so  impoverished  as  to 
be  without  something  to  be  used  according  to  the 
Christian  law  of  use.  Little  or  much  —  all  that  we 
have  is  not  our  own  in  an  absolute  sense,  and  we  aim 
at  the  true  dignity  and  glory  of  life  when  we  seek  to 
consecrate  to  good  ends  the  uses  of  our  possessions, 
whether  those  possessions  be  material,  intellectual  or 
moral. 

In  the  text  where  we  read  the  word  lawful^  the 
meaning  with  which  that  word  is  used,  is  doubtless 
that  of  its  ordinary  significance  in  common  talk  ;  but 


CHRISTIAN  LAW  OF  USE.  311 

to  US  it  must  be  made  grandly  significant,  solemnly 
broad  and  far-reaching,  before  it  can  assume  the 
dignity  which  Christianity  clothes  it  as  a  word  of 
power. 

In  Christianity  there  is  no  higher  or  lower  law. 
All  laws  are  compressed  into  one  —  Love  to  God  ex- 
pressed in  love  to  man.  Hence  we  read,  "  Love  is  the 
fulfulling  of  the  law."  And  so  universally  is  this 
law  felt  to  be  the  one  great  principle  of  action,  that 
no  sooner  does  society  begin  to  exist  than  the  use  of 
one's  own  is  bound  round  with  limitations,  suggested 
by  the  contributions  which  the  individual  is  bound  to 
make  for  the  general  good,  in  exchange  for  the  bene- 
fits which  society  confers,  and  in  view  of  what  alone 
makes  society  possible.  And  there  is  something  quite 
suggestive  in  the  fact,  that  the  Lord  of  the  Vineyard 
did  not  bluff  off  the  murmurers,  but  appealed  to  their 
moral  sense  as  creatures  of  law,  under  which  he  con- 
fessed, impliedly  himself  to  be.  "  Is  it  not  laivful  to 
do  what  I  will  with  mine  own  ?  "  Not  "  I  will  do 
what  I  will  "  — "  Mine  is  mine  to  use  as  I  please  ;  " 
but  dealing  as  he  was  with  the  humblest  class,  he  ap- 
peals to  what  is  lawful  —  that  in  the  use  of  his  means 
he  had  done  no  man  wrong,  but  had  conferred  a  posi- 
tive good. 

Here  then  is  the  Christian  law  of  use  —  to  so  use 
our  means  that,  while  wronging  no  man,  we  may  be 
generous  and  humane.  Justice  is  not  sufficient ;  we 
want  generosity  also  ;  and  it  must  never  be  forgotten, 
that  it  is  an  equal  violation  of  law  when  we  are  unjust 
as  when  we  are  ungenerous.     Benevolence  that  does 


812  CHRISTIAN  LAW  OF   USE. 

not  pay  its  debts  is  a  poor  thing.  It  helps  no  real 
interest  of  society.  It  is  a  showy,  braggart  thing,  and 
exhibits  tlie  same  halfness  of  character  as  is  seen 
where  scrupulous  Justice  exacts  and  gives  the  half- 
cent,  and  never  dreams  of  bidding  its  steward  bestow 
a  gratuity  anywhere. 

What  the  world  wants  —  what  the  just  moral  law 
demands  is,  wholeness  of  character — men  governed 
by  the  proper  balance  of  passions  —  men  who  move  in 
no  eccentric  orbit,  but  who  have  well  defined  the  true 
circle  of  duty,  and  Avho  are  like  perfected  fruit  that 
shows  the  influence  of  the  sunshine  on  every  part. 

But  so  imperfect  has  been  the  action  of  Christianity 
on  most  disciples  that  their  character,  in  order  to  be 
accepted,  must  be  treated  as  the  story  tells  us  a  per- 
son treated  oranges  which  he  plucked  from  the  tree 
and  presented  to  his  friends.  He  was  observed  to  cut 
away  one-half  of  the  fruit  and  offered  the  other  to  his 
friend  to  eat.  When  asked  the  reason  of  this  sacri- 
fice of  one-half,  he  replied,  "  We  only  give  the  sunny 
side  to  our  friends." 

So  of  Christian  characters  —  they  are  but  half 
ripened.  It  is  to  a  part,  and  not  to  the  whole,  that 
we  must  direct  attention  if  we  wish  to  partake  thereof 
with  any  satisfaction.  They  need  to  remember  that 
while  it  is  lawful  for  them  to  do  that  which  developes 
this  bright  side  of  character  —  that  brings  out  these 
amiabilities  and  virtues  —  this  grace  of  manner  and 
kindness  of  deed ;  it  is  not  lawful  to  neglect  any  por- 
tion of  their  moral  being. 


CHRISTIAN   LAW   OF   USE.  313 

There  is  no  reason  why  one-half  of  the  human 
orange  must  be  cut  off;  put  out  of  sight,  in  order 
that  we  may  enjoy  the  sweetnesss  of  what  is  left.  The 
very  halfness  suggests  the  thought,  What  a  splendid 
fruit  this  would  be  had  it  all  been  ripened  alike ! 
What  a  beauty  would  it  exhibit !  What  a  flavor 
would  it  possess  !  What  a  compliment  would  its  per- 
fection be  to  the  tree  that  bore  it ! 

Ah,  here  is  the  great  pressure  upon  us  Christians  — 
to  produce  characters  that  shall  exhibit  the  perfection 
of  our  religion  —  a  true  and  therefore  beautiful  union 
of  justice  and  generosity  —  no  moral  halfness  —  no 
twisting  and  turning  to  make  some  jyhase  of  charac- 
ter apparent  that  shall  win  admiration. 

And  it  is  here  where  our  peculiar  faith  helps  us. 
Nothing  is  more  practical  than  theology  really  and  vi- 
tally received,  for  the  old  truth  is  truth  still,  "  Every 
one  will  walk  in  the  name  of  his  God  ; "  and  the 
grand  call  of  our  Master,  and  his  Apostles  also,  is  to 
apply  to  the  regulation  of  our  own  conduct  our  idea 
of  God.  "  Be  ye  perfect  as  your  Father  in  Heaven  is 
perfect."  "  Be  ye  followers  of  God  as  dear  chil- 
dren." 

Now  the  grand  fact  concerning  the  practical  power 
of  our  faith  is.  Our  idea  of  God  involves  none  of  those 
moral  antagonisms  which  belong  to  the  conceptions  of 
the  Deity  on  which  all  partial  systems  are  based : 

"They  put  at  oflds  Heayen's  jarrinc^  attributes, 
And  with  one  excellence  another  wound." 


2T 


314  CHRISTIAN  LAW   OF  USE. 

Admirably  lias  this  matter  been  called,  "  The  Con- 
flict of  Ages."  In  vain  have  men  tried  to  reconcile 
the  irreconcilable.  Confusion  is  confusion  because  it 
has  no  element  of  order.  And  by  no  art  of  logic,  by 
no  subtility  of  metaphysics,  can  a  harmonious  charac- 
ter be  enjoined  as  the  duty  of  all  to  cultivate  by  any 
system  of  theology  that  makes  justice  alien  from 
mercy  in  the  Divine  character  and  government. 

The  stern  old  Calvinists  took  the  best  ground  — 
that  God  was  bound  by  no  law,  and  had  a  right  to  do 
as  he  pleased,  though  his  pleasure  was  to  elect  a  few 
souls  in  his  creation  to .  eternal  joy,  and  to  doom  the 
rest  to  endless  misery. 

They  ignored  all  law-:— they  refused  to  apply  to 
God  the  moral  distinctions  which,  of  necessity,  they 
applied  to  man ;  and  hence  they  declared  that  the 
Divine  glory  was  just  as  much  advanced  by  the  con- 
dition of  the  lost  as  by  that  of  the  saved. 

They  were  right.  Such  a  God  as  their  theology 
supposed  was  a  barbaric  glory  that  consists  simply  in 
strength,  and  is  as  much  manifested  by  the  stroke 
that  kills  as  by  the  power  that  rescues,  for  it  is  only  a 
mere  giant's  prowess  that  is  involved. 

But  when  we  rise  to  the  conception  of  law  —  moral 
law,  social  law,  we  ask  for  the  character  of  the  will 
before  we  give  our  answer  in  reference  to  use  of 
power  —  use  of  one's  own.  The  universe  is  girdled 
with  the  law  of  love.  It  is  the  effluence  of  the  Divine 
cliaracter.  It  flows  out  of  the  very  essence  of  the 
Divine  nature  ;  and  God  governs  his  uses  of  omnipo- 
tence by  the  same  moral  law  —  the  same  harmony  of 


CHRISTIAN  LAW  OF  USE.  315 

justice  and  generosity,  which  he  presses  on  ns,  and 
which  we  must  obey  in  order  that  we  may  get  the 
fiihiess  of  good  which  attends  obedience  to  the  Chris- 
tian law  of  use.  This  is  the  great  thought  for  the 
enquiring  to  ponder.  What  is  the  character  of  the 
Divine  Will  involved  in  the  theology  offered  to  me  ? 
Is  there  a  harmony  of  justice  and  generosity  ?  Does 
it  involve  mere  matters  of  so  much  pay  for  so  much 
work,  or  has  it  surprises  of  grace  —  tenderness  of  re- 
gard for  human  happiness,  and  does  it  purpose  to 
make  all  equal  without  doing  wrong  to  any  soul  ? 

Let  this  be  the  enquiry  and  new  views  of  God  will 
beam  beauty  on  the  soul. 


SERMON    XXXII 


RELIGION"  A  NECESSITY. 
Necessity  is  laid  upon  me.— i  Cor.  ix.  16. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  necessity  which  environ 
every  man.  One  lies  without  him,  the  other  within. 
The  one  is  represented  hy  the  time,  place  and  circnm- 
stances  of  his  birth  and  infantile  life  ;  the  second  is 
in  his  logical  faculties,  compelling  him  to  admit  a 
demonstration  and  to  yield  the  force  of  evidence  that 
truth  is  truth  ;  the  other  lies  in  his  moral  and  relig- 
ious nature,  magnifying  the  soul  above  logic  and 
swaying  it  by  sentiments  which  are  felt  rather  than 
defined  and  understood.  Here  the  domain  of  Phi- 
losophy is  bounded.  Here  the  step  of  the  moral  anat- 
omist is  arrested,  and  he  is  told  that  there  is  a  life 
beyond  all  organism  which  he  cannot  analyze,  a  spir- 
itual existence  he  cannot  fathom,  a  religious  being  he 
cannot  dissect.  This  is  the  necessity  that  disturbs 
the  sinner  in  his  sins,  that  shows  to  the  good  man  the 
face  of  God.  It  is  the  necessity  that  impels  to  the 
crying  out  for  the  Helper  in  the  heavens  when  the  art 


RELIGION   A   NECESSITY.  317 

of  man  has  failed  and  tlie  soul  is  like  the  troul)led 
sea  when  it  cannot  rest.  It  is  the  necessity  that 
makes  religion  a  necessity  —  something  more  than  a 
policy.  It  was  to  this  necessity  that  Paul  referred 
when  he  said,  "  Necessity  is  laid  upon  me ;  woe  unto 
me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel."  There  was  no  choice 
for  him  between  preaching  the  gospel  and  woe  ;  he 
must  accept  one  or  the  other ;  he  must  take  the  good 
of  preacliing  the  gospel  or  the  evil  of  neglecting  it ; 
and  whatever  may  have  been  his  philosophical  notions 
concerning  the  freedom  of  the  will,  if  he  had  any,  one 
thing  was  certain,  to  be  a  Christian  preacher  was  a 
necessity  to  answer  the  demands  of  his  moral  nature. 
He  did  not  talk  of  merit,  or  worth,  of  any  thing  he 
had  done,  but  opened  the  whole  of  his  highest  con- 
victions in  the  simple  utterance  —  necessity  is  laid 
upon  me. 

I  take  his  words  to  speak  of  what  they  have  sug- 
gested to  me,  and  that  is,  Religion  is  a  necessity.  It 
is  not  something  that  may  be  regarded  as  an  appen- 
dage ;  as  something  that  may  be  neglected  for  a  while 
without  any  real  loss  of  good,  but  a  necessity  —  a 
necessity  for  every  period  of  life,  for  every  exigence 
in  human  affairs  —  for  the  family  as  well  as  the  indi- 
vidual, and  for  the  State  as  well  as  for  the  family. 
Nothing  that  ought  to  be  done  can  be  done  so  well 
without  it  as  with  it.  It  is  the  grand  sentiment  of 
life's  youth,  prime  and  decay ;  for  the  exalted  and 
the  lowly,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  weeping  and  the 
smiling,  the  living  and  the  dying.  It  is  not  a  thing 
to  be  shut  up  like  a  church  six  days  out  of  seven.  It 
27* 


318  RELIGION   A   NECESSITY. 

is  like  the  golden  light  of  day  that  visits  the  Spring- 
time as  well  as  the  Winter,  brightens  the  smiles  of 
Summer  and  gives  Autumn  the  glory  of  banners  with 
gorgeous  dyes.  Like  night  it  has  its  young  cres- 
cent and  its  full  orbed  harvest  moon  ;  its  awful  dark- 
ness and  its  myriad  stars.  Never  is  man  wiser  than 
when  in  view  of  the  acceptance  of  Religion.  He  says, 
"  Necessity  is  laid  upon  me."  A  necessity  —  a  de- 
mand of  our  whole  nature  —  called  for  by  every  thing 
to  which  we  are  liable  in  all  the  avenues  and  bye- 
paths  of  time,  and  by  all  the  prophesied  glories  of  the 
Eternal  City. 

Let  us  look  into  our  proposition  and  receive  its 
suggestions. 

And,  first,  this  is  not  the  usual  claim  set  up  for 
religion,  but  it  really  marks  the  difference  between 
the  religion  of  principle  and  the  religion  of  policy. 

It  is  singular  to  notice  the  arguments  which  are 
commonly  set  up  for  religion  as  a  cheap  police,  an 
excellent  economist,  a  protector  of  respectability,  a 
sort  of  life-insurance  —  something  that  may  environ 
us  without,  rather  than  something  that  should  strike 
in  to  the  very  core  of  our  being  and  show  itself  in  the 
quality  of  our  life.  Some  receive  it,  says  an  acute 
divine,  "  as  too  great  to  be  patronized  and  too  true  to 
be  proved."  These  are  the  only  vital  Christians.  To 
them  religion  is  a  nece&sity  like  the  lungs,  the  heart, 
the  brain.  It  is  the  breathing,  the  pulsating,  the 
qviickcned  seat  of  life.  It  is  a  thing  that  calls  us, 
-rather  than  a  thing  called,  as  the  Saviour  said,  "  Ye 
have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you."     The 


RELIGION   A   NECESSITY.  319 

reason  wliy  men  are  shaken  from  their  rehgious 
ground,  and  become  sceptics,  is,  most  commonly,  be- 
cause when  they  had  a  rehgion  it  was  rather  the 
dream  of  the  fancy  than  the  bride  of  the  soul ;  it  was 
something  that  had  been  outside  of  them,  now  wor- 
rying, now  coaxing  them,  and  not  a  presence  entering 
into  the  heart  and  taking  its  portion  as  the  heir  of 
the  throne.  We  find  such  persons  in  the  church  ; 
they  suddenly  start  up  and  cry  out,  "  I  noiv  know 
religion  to  be  a  reality ^^  and  they  date  a  new  exis- 
tence from  that  hour.  Before  that,  it  was  a  word,  a 
dream,  a  tradition  ;  but  now  it  is  the  life  of  life  —  a 
necessity  —  it  is  something  to  which  tliey  answer  as 
the  whole  mechanism  of  the  time-piece  answers  to  the 
main-spring. 

How  religion  is  a  necessity  may  be  seen  by  consid- 
ering the  highest  exhibition  of  religious  heroism,  and 
comparing  therewith  a  grand  intellectual  character 
that  has  no  alliance  with  religion,  and  seeing  what  a 
beauty,  what  a  dignity,  what  a  majesty  would  be 
given  to  that  character  by  infusing  into  it  the  distin- 
guishing element  of  the  religious  martyr.  Is  there 
any  tiling  in  that  intellectual  man  that  would  not  be 
heightened  and  improved  by  this  union  ?  Would  not 
the  understanding,  the  wit,  the  prudential  faculties, 
and  every  attribute  of  his  intellectual  greatness  re- 
ceive an  adornment  and  excellence  which  now  they 
grievously  want  ?  If  not,  what  moans  the  universal 
lamentation  over  greatness  void  of  the  highest  respon- 
sibilities—  greatness  that  leaves  God  and  is  left  of 
him.     Religion  is  a  necessity  because  it  is  essential  to 


320  RELIGION   A   NECESSITY. 

the  idea  of  a  perfect  man.  ^'  Ye  are  complete  in 
Christ,"  said  Paul ;  and  only  in  him  can  any  man  be 
complete.  Completeness  demands  religion  as  an  es- 
sential element  of  the  man,  for  where  we  meet  man 
in  history,  we  as  much  expect  to  learn  something  of 
his  religion  as  of  his  method  of  living  or  gOYernment. 
Reforms  not  based  on  religion  have  been  in  vain, 
because  this  is  the  only  substratum  on  which  a  man 
can  build  without  fear  of  its  being  Avashed  away.  It 
belongs  to  the  permanent  and  universal.  Other  bases 
unite  man  only  witli  man ;  this  unites  him  with  God. 
This  only  presses  home  the  idea  of  a  responsibility 
that  is  as  certain  as  that  the  Judge  and  Lawgiver  is 
Omniscient  and  Omnipresent.  Without  this,  there 
are  times  when  evils  gather  so  fast  and  thick  that  even 
a  Paul,  with  giant  determination,  might  faint  and 
yield  the  position  of  danger ;  but  with  this,  necessity 
is  laid  upon  him  —  he  must  speak,  he  must  act,  he 
must  sunder  the  dearest  ties,  if  the  cause  of  Christ 
makes  such  a  demand,  counting  "  all  things  but  loss 
for  the  "  excellency  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  It  links 
him  with  all  the  epochs  of  truth  in  the  past,  with  all 
that  is  noble  in  the  present,  with  the  immeasurable 
ages  that  stretch  out  before  his  vision,  having  some- 
where amid  their  distances  his  San  Salvador. 

Religion,  as  passing  all  lower  comparisons  and  be- 
coming a  necessity,  is  seen  where  the  affections  are 
touched  by  the  mere  solemn  exigencies  of  life.  A 
while  ago,  I  knew  a  beautiful  and  as  gentle  and  meek 
a  woman,  who  wrapped  a  light  shawl  about  her  and 
went  out  into  her  garden  and  moved  as  at  home  with 


RELIGION   A   NECESSITY.  321 

the  flowers.  A  cliill  passed  through  her  frame,  she 
entered  the  house,  rested  her  head  upon  the  couch 
and  was  dead.  From  the  mart,  where  successful 
busmess  absorbed  him,  came  the  husband  through  the 
golden  light  of  that  beautiful  day,  as  happy  as  the 
whirl  of  business  thoughts  would  permit  him  to  be  ; 
he  knew  how  the  calm  of  another  soul  would  pass 
into  his  own  as  soon  as  he  should  cross  his  thresh- 
hold.  He  crossed  it  with  a  light  step  and  saw  a  cold 
image  of  celestial  beauty,  where  was  wont  to  be  an 
eye  of  light  and  a  lip  of  music.  No  loveliness  was  in 
the  sunshine  or  the  flowers.  The  gorgeous  decora- 
tions of  his  house  were  but  garlands  in  a  tomb.  What 
to  him  were  schemes  of  ambition,  what  the  visions  of 
wealth,  what  the  parades  of  costly  show  !  They  were 
but  the  hieroglyphics  of  the  pyramids  that  speak  no 
word  for  our  mortal  needs.  Religion  was  then  to 
him  not  a  thing  of  creeds  and  confessions,  ritual  and 
ceremony,  but  a  vital  necessity.  Yes,  necessity  was 
laid  upon  him  to  accept  it  or  die  to  all  happiness. 
Nothing  else  could  lift  him  up.  Nothing  else  could 
give  him  a  vision  of  the  future.  Without  it,  all  was 
blank,  desolate  ;  but  with  it, 

"  On  the  cold  cheek  of  (leath  smiles  and  roses  were  blending, 
And  beauty  immortal  awoke  from  the  tomb." 

Without  it,  he  might  have  gone  into  the  world  and 
for  a  while  forgot  his  sorrow,  but  the  shock  would 
have  been  renewed  when  he  little  dreamed  of  the 
lightning-cloud  being  near,  and  again  for  his  arms 
there  would  be  nothing  but  the  cold  image  —  the 
chilling  clay. 


322  RELIGION   A  NECESSITY. 

0  there  is  something  awful  in  this  necessity  to  meet 
death  —  to  see  it  dash  out  the  dearest  hght  of  exist- 
ence. "  In  that  war  there  is  no  discharge."  Neces- 
sity is  laid  upon  us.  We  may  struggle  and  wrestle, 
but  it  is  with  fate,  with  destiny,  with  the  inevitable. 
Our  wisdom,  our  might,  our  riches  may  be  invoked 
in  vain.  I  stood  with  a  friend  and  gazed  one  day  on 
a  massive  structure  which  his  enterprize  and  wealth 
had  reared.  There  it  stood  one  of  the  ornaments  of 
the  city  —  a  noble  front,  its  depth  stretching  a  vast 
perspective.  I  spoke  of  its  stability  and  beauty.  "  It 
seems  to  mock  me,"  said  he ;  "I  can  keep  my 
buildings,  but  not  my  children."  It  ought  not  to 
have  mocked  him ;  it  would  not  had  religion  been 
accepted  in  its  connections  with  business  —  had  he 
united  the  qualities  which  the  Apostle  demanded, 
"  Not  slothful  in  business,  fervent  in  spirit,  serving 
the  Lord."  His  children  and  his  buildings  should 
have  had  their  places  and  only  their  own  places  in  his 
heart.  He  should  have  known  what  necessities  were 
laid  upon  the  ownership  of  a  child,  as  well  as  those 
connected  with  a  building,  and  obeyed  the  suggestions 
of  prudential  foresight. 

Yes,  in  all  my  intercourse  with  human  affections,  I 
have  seen  no  greater  necessity  than  for  religion  —  a 
necessity  to  make  love  pure  and  steady  at  its  first 
springs,  to  hallow  the  bridal,  to  sanctify  the  cradle, 
to  give  sacredness  to  all  the  obligations  imposed  by 
the  union  of  lives  and  happiness,  and  to  bond  the 
rainbow  above  the  grave.  It  is  not  sickness,  it  is  not 
misfortune,  it  is  not  temptation,  it  is  not  bereavement 


RELIGION   A    NECESSITY.  323 

that  alone  make  the  demand  for  religion  ;  but  the  de- 
mand is  equally  imperative  when  the  skies  are  cloud- 
less and  all  things  seem  to  go  on  in  the  order  of 
celestial  harmony.  The  temper,  the  disposition,  the 
feelings  and  passions  demand  it  for  their  proper  regu- 
lation. This  alone  can  cure  the  unrest  that  makes 
the  most  extensive  resources  unavailable  for  happi- 
ness ;  and  for  want  of  this,  thousands  are  like  the 
thirsty  one,  to  whom  the  glory  of  the  summer  skies 
and  woods  and  orchards  and  streams,  balmy  air  and 
sweetest  music,  are  nothing,  because  the  well  at  his 
side  is  deep  and  he  has  nothing  wherewith  to  draw. 
Happy  for  the  soul  is  that  hour  when  she  starts  up  in 
the  energy  of  a  regenerated  will  and  cries,  "  Neces- 
sity is  laid  upon  me  —  0  religion  !  I  am  thine."  Cries 
thus,  not  with  a  stoic's  fierceness,  but  with  that 
divine  sentiment  that  overwhelms  the  heart  as  it  yields 
itself  to  its  own  image  in  another. 

The  young  need  it  as  well  as  the  eld.  0  how  much 
they  need  it  when  they  discover  the  stern  realities  of 
life  hidden  behind  the  gilded  mist  of  their  fancies, 
when  they  find  themselves  like  the  swimmer  in  a 
strong  current  where  he  imagined  the  river  was  still 
to  its  depths,  —  when  the  future  looms  up,  not  as  a 
flowery  ascent,  but  as  "  a  battle  and  a  march,"  de- 
manding the  conquering  of  appetite  and  desire,  that 
the  supremacy  of  the  soul  may  be  set  up  and  spiritual 
interest  regarded  as  the  chief  of  all  interests,  the  real 
life.  I  have  seen  an  unrest,  a  battling  with  destiny, 
an  irritation  at  the  pressure  of  inevitable  circum- 
stances, a  morbid  looking  into  the  mystery  of  the 


324  RELIGION   A  NECESSITY. 

future,  an  utter  dissatisfaction  with  life  and  its  inevi- 
table conditions,  which  nothing  but  religion  could 
cure.  Yes,  and  I  mean  by  religion  the  religion  to 
which  this  desk  is  consecrated  —  the  religion  that 
proclaims  God's  interest  in  his  children,  his  guardian- 
ship of  the  race,  as  unintermitted,  through  time  and 
the  ages  beyond,  as  the  life  of  the  soul  is  continuous. 
There  is  a  religion  for  which  there  is  no  demand  in 
our  nature.  It  is  not  —  it  can  never  be  to  any  mortal 
soul  a  necessity.  It  is  violence  to  human  nature.  It 
is  a  mockery  of  the  affections.  It  is  thorns  to  the 
bleeding  sympathies.  To  the  young  it  gives  the  vision 
of  a  great  burning  eye ;  to  manhood  the  thought 
merely  of  a  taskmaster  ;  to  the  aged  a  vision  of  judg- 
ment and  the  quakings  of  fear.  It  is  not  that  glad 
and  joyous  thing  which  the  early  Christians  knew, 
that  made  them  speak  so  positively  of  the  equal  love 
of  God  and  of  the  ages  through  which  the  Divine 
kindness  would  be  shown  to  the  world.  It  has  made 
men  wish  they  were  brutes  that  they  might  have  no 
idea  of  immortality.  It  has  built  inquisitions  and 
tortures  as  the  foreshadowing  of  the  judgment  and  the 
torments  of  the  great  future ;  and  men  have  shaken 
it  off  even  to  the  acceptance  of  cold  scepticism  and 
bold  atheism.  How  many  souls  there  are  in  this  city 
who  tell  the  story  of  their  religious  deadness  in  a  few 
words,  and  those  words  are,  "  Had  I  not  received 
religion  in  the  form  in  which  it  was  presented  to  me 
in  my  youth,  I  should  not  be  where  I  am  now."  It 
was  a  religion  for  which  life  had  no  necessity.  It  was 
gravel  in  their  teeth  —  it  was  violence  to  all  they 


RELIGION  A  NECESSITY.  325 

learned  of  God  in  nature  —  it  sickened  tlicm  of  the 
name  of  religion,  though  that  name  belongs  to  the 
daughter  of  heaven. 

Even  their  confession  proves  the  truth  of  our  posi- 
tion that  religion  is  a  necessity.  They  tell  us  of  the 
past  and  say,  "  I  should  not  be  where  I  am  now  were 
it  not  for  this."  And  is  there  not  something  sad  in 
this  tone  ?  It  is  the  voice  that  mourns  a  wrong  guid- 
ance. It  is  a  cry  that  comes  up  out  of  a  depth  into 
which  the  victim  has  fallen,  when  he  would  fain  be 
npon  the  heights  where  the  morning  is  beautiful  and 
the  valley  is  seen  to  be  full  of  inspiring  sights  and 
sounds.  Heed,  heed,  0  fellow  man,  brother  of  eter- 
nity, heed  the  necessities  of  thy  condition  —  accept 
the  aid  proffered  thee.  "  Wait  on  tlie  Lord ;  be  of 
good  courage,  and  he  shall  st:^engtlien  thine  heart  : 
wait,  I  say,  on  the  Lord."  The  Lord  —  the  great 
Father  of  spirits,  out  of  whose  enfolding  love  thou 
canst  not  stir,  and  whose  arm  is  mighty  to  shield 
thee.  Look  up !  the  God  who  built  your  radiant 
heavens,  whose  glory  star  speaks  to  star,  has  no  war 
spirit  towards  thee.  A  beautiful  necessity  is  that 
which  he  hath  placed  upon  thee  —  it  is  that  thou 
shalt  find  thy  happiness  in  responding  to  His  love  — 
in  choosing  duty  for  love's  own  sake,  that  thy  whole 
being  may  tend,  in  all  its  activity,  heavenward,  like 
the  river  "  that  glideth  of  its  own  sweet  will,"  on  its 
shining  way. 
28 


SERMON    XXXIII. 


RELIGION  IS  LIFE. 
I  AM  co:me  that  they  might  have  lii-e,  awd  that  they  might  have 

IT  MORE  AEUKDAKTLY.— John  X.   10. 

Life,  life !  is  the  great  burden  of  the  Scriptures. 
They  labor  to  give  the  highest  significance  to  life, 
making  it  a  beneficent  gift,  a  glorious  heritage.  At 
their  very  opening  in  that  mystic  phrase,  "  In  the  be- 
ginning 1"  they  bear  us  far  beyond  the  first  "  sylla- 
ble of  recorded  time,"  and  thought  floats  on  amid 
that  infinite  of  life  tliat  expressed  itself  in  the  ele- 
ments and  forms  of  material  things,  in  the  creation  of 
unnumbered  races  of  animals,  in  the  moulding  of  the 
first  human  form,  and  then  through  that  living  soul 
that  distinguished  and  glorified  Adam.  And  down 
through  the  ages  of  human  history,  the  burden  of  all 
prayer  and  song  has  been  life^  the  motive  force  of  all 
progress,  working  out  the  aspirations  of  great  and 
noble  souls.  Thought,  truth,  faith,  hope,  love,  sanc- 
tity, what  are  they  but  forms  of  life,  the  drawing  forth 
from  hidden  fountains  our  most  spiritual  nature,  and 


RELIGION   IS   LIFE.  327 

intimating  to  us  what  are  the  possibilities  of  effort. 
You  can  tell  a  man's  life  by  these.  They  express 
him.  Moses  tlms  summed  up  the  intent  and  influ- 
ence of  the  religion  of  which  he  was  the  medium  as 
life  ;  "  it  is  of  our  life,"  said  he  ;  and  wherever  you 
open  the  records  of  inspiration  you  will  catch  siglits 
of  this  quickening  word.  The  gorgeous  and  touching 
poetry  wath  which  the  prophets  described  the  coming 
of  Jesus  abounded  w^ith  images  of  life  —  re-creating 
life  that  makes  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth,  that 
transforms  the  desert  into  a  fruitful  field,  the  wilder- 
ness to  a  garden,  opens  fountains  in  dry  places,  and 
wakes  sounds  of  gladness  where  cheerfulness  had 
long  been  dead.  And  when  the  promised  one  came, 
what  a  perpetual  reiteration  was  made  of  life,  life ! 
How  the  meaning  of  that  word  was  magniiied  1  What 
a  glory,  even  in  tliis  life,  was  made  possible  to  man ! 
What  a  moral  grandeur  was  given  to  a  human  exis- 
tence in  him  in  whom,  in  the  highest  sense  "  was  life, 
and  the  life  was  the  light  of  man."  All  life  is  light. 
It  shows  us  something.  It  makes  a  revelation  of  duty 
or  danger.  It  encourages  or  warns.  But  the  life 
that  was  in,  and  that  flowed  from,  Christ,  was  all  good. 
It  was  as  the  light  that  burst  forth  at  creation's  dawn, 
when  the  air  was  music  and  every  motion  was  order. 
He  offered  life.  It  was  the  ever-recurring  proffer  in 
his  preaching,  and  no  where  more  beautifully  than  in 
the  text,  "  I  am  come  that  they  might  have  life,  and 
that  they  might  have  it  more  abundantly." 

O  there  is  somethhig  glorious  here.     The  thought 
has  come  to  fire  the  soul  with  the  idea  of  ever-con- 


828  RELIGION  IS  LIFE. 

tiiuioiis  life  —  no  interruption,  no  breakage,  no  pour- 
ing back  of  the  accumulated  waters  of  strength  and 
glory.  Death  is  but  a  rock  which  the  river  leaps  at 
a  bound,  and  the  momentary  ruffling  of  the  waters 
only  make  them  foam  and  sparkle  the  more  beautiful. 
What  life  may  be,  Jesus  taught.  The  possibilities  of 
our  nature  are  shown  in  him.  What  is  a  throne,  or 
the  glitter  of  wealth,  or  the  luxury  of  ease,  or  the 
glory  of  fame,  compared  with  being  like  him  !  They 
are  but  as  the  shootings  of  a  crystal  in  contrast  with 
the  steady  light  of  the  north  star.  From  him  comes 
the  light  of  life  ;  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but 
by  him,  for  only  in  him  is  seen  the  perfection  of  that 
spirit  which  makes  the  soul  at  one  with  God.  Our 
"  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God ;"  and  though  we 
struggle  ever  so  valiantly  for  self-reliance,  for  a  sense 
of  wholeness  in  our  individuality,  there  will  come 
hours  when  the  God  within  shall  rise  from  his  slum- 
bers and  shake  the  fabric  of  our  hopes  to  its  founda- 
tions, and  convince  us  of  the  unsubstantial  nature  of 
our  trust.  Better  seek  for  the  hfe  hidden  for  us  in 
Christ  than  for  gold  ;  for  we  have  a  nature  that  mocks 
at  all  the  appliances  of  wealth  and  shows  when  man 
seeks  to  thus  satisfy  it.  As  well  try  to  satisfy  the 
earth  with  artificial  light  and  heat  without  the  sun. 

Here  then  is  the  basis  of  our  proposition  that  relig- 
ion is  life.  It  is  not  merely  restraint,  prospect  of  re- 
ward, a  matter  of  feeling  and  emotion,  a  mystic  some- 
thing which  is  called  experience;  but  it  is  life  — 
highest,  truest,  most  satisfactory  life,  as  surely  as  the 
beating  heart  and  heaving  lungs  are  essential  to  our 


RELIGION   IS  LIFE.  329 

animal  existence.  Our  duty  is  to  heed  this.  Our 
chief  danger  is  that  we  so  easily  forget  it,  or  fail  to 
receive  it.  Yes,  fail  to  receive  it !  Thousands  do, 
and  yet  claim  to  be  Christians.  To  them  religion  is 
not  life,  —  that  glad,  buoyant  and  active  thing  whicli 
sparkles  in  the  eye,  smiles  on  the  lip,  and  manifests 
itself  in  the  elastic  and  happy  movements  of  the  pow- 
ers of  activity.  It  is  a  curb,  a  bit,  a  chain,  a  yoke, — 
a  something  that  fetters  free  action,  that  makes  the 
soul  tremble  at  the  thought  of  awful  exposure,  and 
that  never  recals  the  Master's  words,  "  I  am  come 
that  they  might  have  life,  and  that  they  might  have  it 
more  abundantly,"  or,  in  other  words,  that  they  might 
be  quickened  into  an  ever  progressive  appreciation 
and  enjoyment  of  what  is  possible  to  a  human  being. 

Jesus  knew  what  was  in  man.  He  saw  a  spark  of 
moral  life,  and  sought  to  kindle  the  whole  being 
thereby  into  a  glow,  that  man  might  have  a  life  that 
should  never  end  —  a  life  that  might  increase  in  inten- 
sity, in  purity,  in  happiness,  in  glory.  Only  as  we 
know  this  can  we  enter  into  acquaintance  with  this 
experience,  and  solve  those  problems  that  are  ever 
dark  to  the  sensual,  speaking  of  gaining  a  life  by 
losing  one. 

Let  us  ask  then,  what  is  religion  ?  and  how  is  relig- 
ion .  a  life  ?  Then  we  will  show  that  the  life  of  Jesus 
gives  quickening  force  to  Christianity  ;  that  thousands 
drink  in  that  life  and  live  by  it,  who  have  little  })ower 
of  understanding  historical  and  critical  questions ; 
and  close  by  showing  that  all  the  great  occasions  of 
life  demand  religion  as  an  essential  want,  and  that 
28* 


330  RELIGION   IS  LIFE. 

without  it  reform  is  a  powerless  philosophy.  This 
will  give,  I  hope,  a  deeper,  more  solemn,  and  happy 
significance  in  our  minds  to  the  words  of  Jesus,  "  I 
am  come  that  ye  might  have  life,  and  that  ye  might 
have  it  more  abundantly." 

I  need  not  tarry  long  at  a  definition  of  religion ; 
but  amid  the  various  meanings  attached  to  the  word, 
I  need  to  make  one  distinct,  or  I  shall  vainly  speak  of 
religion  as  life.  The  prevailing  sentiment  is,  that 
religion  is  a  mystery  —  a  kind  of  celestial  visitant  — 
a  mysterious  birth  —  a  something  that  comes  like  the 
breath  of  Christ  to  the  stormy  waves  of  Galilee,  the 
soul  being  as  unconscious  of  the  source  as  the  waters 
of  the  sea  were  of  the  presence  of  Jesus.  Religion  is 
made  a  matter  of  feeling,  of  emotion,  of  sensibility. 
Men  may  be  as  devout,  as  honest,  as  charitable,  as 
reverent  as  others,  and  yet  they  are  considered  as 
having  no  religion  unless  they  have  known  this  unde- 
finable  and  mystic  operation.  The  best  life,  showing 
the  fruits  of  godliness  in  the  deep  places  of  the  soul, 
is  vain  as  a  claim  for  the  possession  of  religion,  be- 
cause no  profession  is  made  of  having  known  a  certain 
kind  of  emotion,  —  a  great  depression  followed  by  a 
perfect  uplifting  of  feeling.  Men  who,  judged  by  the 
religion  which  Christ  lived,  would  never  be  imagined 
to  know  anything  of  religion,  will  freely  denounce  the 
worst  imaginable  judgments  against  men  of  upright 
life  and  reverent  habits  of  thought  and  feeling,  be- 
cause a  something  called  "  experience  "  has  not  been 
known  by  the  latter.  This  is  all  wrong.  We  know 
what  we  mean  when  we  speak  of  the  duties  of  religion, 


RELIGION   IS   LIFE.  331 

the  virtues  of  religion,  the  graces  of  religion,  and  it 
is  these  duties,  virtues  and  graceswhich  define  religion 
to  us,  and  show  us  the  arrant  folly  of  making  religion 
consist  in  something  mysterious,  incommunicable,  and 
foreign  from  the  abilities  of  effort  seeking  the  grace 
of  God.     Religion  is  a  regard  for  God  in  all  our  de- 
sires and  doings.     It  is  a  reverent  consulting  of  his 
will  in  all  that  we  call  self-culture.     It  is  what  Jesus 
was,  as  he  spake  and  did  when  on  earth.     It  is  great- 
ness, meekness,  humility,  love.     It  is  forbearance,  for- 
giveness, charity,  peace.     In  one  word,  it  is  goodness, 
goodness  which  has  God  for  its  father,  Christ  for  its 
companion,  and  duty  for  its  delight  and  joy.     It  is 
not  a  mystery,  but  the  simplicity  of  right  doing,  hon- 
est living ;  it  is  righteousness,  peace,  and  spiritual 
joy.     It  is  the  life  of  the  soul. 

AVhen  we  say  that  religion  is  life,  we  viean  that  as 
the  body  shows  evidence  that  food,  exercise,  repose 
and  cheerful  spirits  arc  necessary  to  its  true  life,  so 
does  the  soul  show  evidence  that  religion  was  made 
for  it,  —  to  feed,  to  give  exercise,  to  impart  repose, 
and  to  inspire  cheerfulness.  Never  did  man  truly 
live  without  religion  as  an  intellectual  and  moral 
being,  any  more  than  man  has  lived  as  a  physical 
being  without  food.  Agricultural  chemistry  is  a  sci- 
ence that  is  now  showing  what  tliis  and  that  plant  or 
tree  or  vine  needs  to  promote  its  growth,  beauty  and 
fruitfulness.  By  this  we  see  what  the  plant,  or  tree, 
or  vine,  was  made  for  —  what  are  the  conditions  of  its 
life,  its  best  life,  its  most  productive  life ;  and  what 
is  religion  but  a  kind  of  moral  chemistry,  showing 


832  RELIGION   IS   LIFE. 

what  the  soul  needs  to  promote  its  best  development, 
to  show  what  injures  its  powers,  what  checks  free  and 
happiest  action,  what  makes  it  bslie  its  promises  and 
give  amid  its  leaves  no  figs  to  the  hand  of  the  Saviour. 
Instinct,  thought,  feeling,  sympathy,  are  not  more 
truly  our  life,  than  is  religion  which  directs  all  our 
powers  to  the  highest  and  best  action,  —  that  runs  the 
finger  of  the  Master  over  the  keys,  winds  the  chords, 
and  at  last  makes  every  sound  to  be  the  response  of 
melody.  To  know  convincingly  what  is  our  life,  we 
have  only  to  ask  one  question,  How  can  we  live  with- 
out it  ?  Outwardly  we  can  live  with  far  less  appli- 
ances than  we  dream  of.  Diogenes  proved  that  when 
he  gave  up  his  cup  as  he  saw  the  boy  drinking  water 
from  the  brook  in  his  hand  ;  but  our  immortal  nature 
craves  many  things.  It  is  an  emanation  from  the 
All-creating  Mind.  It  is  a  centre  that  is  to  repel  con- 
fusion and  attract  order.  It  is  free  as  nothing  in  the 
world  of  matter  is  free,  but  yet  necessity  is  laid  upon 
it  to  be  religious  —  to  seek  God,  to  serve  him,  —  to 
deal  justly,  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with 
God.  None  can  be  so  blind  as  not  to  see  that  thus 
religion  becomes  life.  That  is  a  mean  method  of 
living  that  has  it  not ;  and  history  is  full  of  examples 
to  show  that  witliout  it,  the  grandeur  of  State  and  the 
glory  of  splendid  achievements  are  but  a  painted  mask 
behind  which  the  man  has  trembled  and  sunk  into 
nothingness.  0  there  is  no  lesson  so  awful  as  comes 
from  exposing  greatness  that  never  knew  the  great- 
ness of  true  life,  —  the  perception  of  alliance  witj.i  God 
and  the  steady,  whole-hearted  pursuit  of  great  princi- 
ples and  great  and  small  duties. 


RELIGION   IS  LIFE.  333 

To  see  that  religion  is  life,  look  into  Cliristianity. 
What  is  it  that  makes  that  religion  the  mighty  regn- 
lator  ?  It  is  the  life  that  stands  at  the  centre,  and 
from  whence  comes  the  light  that  illuminates  truth 
and  duty.  The  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of 
God  shines  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  see  in 
him  what  his  speech  and  deeds  mean.  If  we  would 
feel  the  full  force  of  this  fact,  we  have  only  to  look 
into  the  history  of  the  church  and  see  how  men  have 
labored  to  express  Christianity  in  words.  How  hollow 
and  meaningless  are  the  best  symbols  in  the  presence 
of  the  heavenly  life  of  Christ !  I  never  felt  this  more 
than  when  I  first  read  a  book  entitled  The  Words  of 
Christy  —  his  sayings  separated  from  the  incidents 
which  incited  their  utterance.  The  words  of  Christ 
thus  gathered  seem  like  ruins  —  fragments  of  beauty. 
They  need  the  life  that  gave  them  power,  and  that 
justified  Christ's  own  declaration  concerning  them 
when  he  said,  ''  the  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they 
are  spirit,  and  they  are  life."  A  creed,  what  is  it  ? 
A  fleshiess  skeleton.  It  reminds  us  of  anatomy  —  of 
death.     It 

"  Misshapes  the  beauteous  forms  of  things, 
And  murders  to  dissect." 

Christianity  is  not  a  book,  but  a  life.  Christ  wrote 
nothing.  The  book  came  because  of  the  life  he  left 
in  the  hearts  of  his  disciples.  And  the  glory  of  Chris- 
tianity is,  that  not  on  tables  of  stone  was  the  Christian 
law  written,  but  by  the  life  of  Jesus  on  the  fle.^hy 
tablets  of  the  heart  of  man.  And  we  can  never  be  too 
thankful  that  no  attempt  was  made  to  draw  his  por- 


834  RELIGION   IS   LIFE. 

« 

trait  in  Trords  or  colors ;  for  to  know  liim,  we  must 
study  what  he  did ;  and  thus  studying,  his  likeness 
grows  up  in  the  soul  as  we  drink  in  the  beauty  of  a 
landscape  and  all  unconsciously  an  image  of  its  love- 
liness is  made  to  go  with  us  forever. 

And  here  is  given  another  evidence  that  religion  is 
life,  inasmuch  as  thousands  who  have  no  critical  abil- 
ity, no  faculty  to  enter  into  historical  evidence  and 
metaphysical  doctrines,  have  received  a  new  life  from 
communing  with  the  Saviour.  They  have  felt  there 
was  something  divine  in  one  who  could  thus  live  ;  and 
though  they  had  no  theory  about  the  miracles,  no 
s^'stem  of  theology,  no  method  of  making  difficult  texts 
simple,  no  well  defined  creed,  yet  they  had  a  solemn, 
a  profound,  an  exalting  conviction  that  Jesus  of  Naz- 
areth was  the  sent  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  the 
world.  They  have  had  a  delightful  consciousness  of 
his  presence  and  love ;  and  the  mountain  air  is  not 
more  bracing  to  the  languid  invalid,  nor  the  breath  ' 
of  the  fountain  more  grateful  to  the  heated  traveller, 
than  to  them  is  communion  with  the  life  of  the  gos- 
pel which  comes  from  Christ.  Talk  to  them  of  evi- 
dences of  Christianity,  and  their  reply  will  only  re- 
mind you  of  the  simple  lines  which  tell  the  story  of 
millions  of  hearts  :  — 

"  A  man  of  subtle  reasoning  asked 

A  peasant  if  he  knew 
What  was  the  iuternal  evidence 

That  proved  his  Bible  true  ? 
The  terms  of  dlsputative  art 

Had  never  reached  his  ear  ; 
He  laid  his  hand  upon  his  heart, 

And  only  answered  •  Jiei-e' " 


RELIGION  IS  LIFE.  335 

But  a  grand  evidence  that  religion  is  life  comes 
from  considering  the  fact  that  all  great  occasions  de- 
mand it.  By  great  occasions  I  mean  the  most  promi- 
nent events  in  life  —  the  memorable  incidents  that 
teach  us  how  much  we  can  and  how  much  we  ought 
to  feel ;  the  first  mysteries  and  struggles  of  youtli ; 
the  dawning  of  the  responsibilities,  liopes  and  aspira- 
tions of  manhood  ;  marriage,  the  birih,  the  death.  It 
is  well  to  take  this  view  of  religion  as  life,  because 
what  gives  the  best  wisdom  and  support  and  happiness 
on  great  occasions,  is  needed  in  the  humblest  circum- 
stances of  every  day  life.  Great  occasions  but  mag- 
nify the  wants  of  common  existence,  as  the  battle- 
field is  but  a  monstrous  picture  of  the  miniature  con- 
test in  our  own  breasts,  and  the  glad  festival  is  but 
the  carnival  mimiced  by  the  pantomime  of  our  own 
thoughts  and  feelings. 

Marriage,  what  is  it  where  religion  is  not  ?  I  have 
known  it  when  but  a  form,  an  outward  bond,  no  sac- 
rament of  the  soul.  All  that  tender  and  delicate 
interest  which  religious  sensibilities  impart,  all  that 
outpouring  of  one's  own  being  into  that  of  another, 
all  that  holy  and  touching  reciprocity  of  feeling  and 
sympathy  that  makes  the  others  joy  and  sorrow  our 
own,  all  that  intensity  of  joy  which  fiows  from  mu- 
tual prayer  and  reliance  on  God,  was  not  known  at 
all.  In  a  little  while  the  charm  of  novelty  was  over  ; 
love  as  a  passion  had  passed  its  crisis ;  and  then  the 
common  cares  and  perplexities  attendant  on  every 
mortar s  pilgrimage  produced  frctfulness  and  repin- 
mo; ;  and  at  length  the  bonds  that  ought   to  lay  as 


336  RELIGION  IS  LIFE. 

gently  and  firmly  as  a  mother's  love  on  the  heart  of  a 
true  child,  became  as  the  bonds  of  oppression,  whose 
iron  eats  into  the  soul.  And  what  is  at  last  given  in 
the  picture  of  life  there  ?  Something  that  tells  us 
that  not  wealth  nor  splendor,  nor  genius  nor  talent, 
can  insure  happiness,  for  lo  !  all  this  is  mocked  by  the 
serene  and  steady  happiness  of  religious  love,  of  sanc- 
tified marriage  in  the  humblest  cottage,  where  dwell 
the  lowliest  gifted  minds.  And  when  a  young  im- 
mortal is  ushered  into  being,  what  idolatry  or  indif- 
ference is  seen  around  the  cradle  where  religion  abides 
not  with  the  parent !  No  beaming  of  celestial  life  is 
seen  there  in  that  cradle,  for  the  eye  looks  only  as  the 
mind  dictates.  But  in  another  home  the  devotion  of 
Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus  is  equalled,  and  the  babe 
is  the  "  feeble  beginning  of  a  mighty  end."  Beautiful 
is  the  ease  with  which  severe  tasks  are  there  per- 
formed ;  and  though  the  little  child  does  indeed  lead 
the  parent,  yet  every  step  is  a  nearer  approach  to 
heaven.  And  when  the  gladness  of  its  life  is  passed, 
its  merry  tones  are  hushed,  and  one  hope  after  another 
perishes,  as  blossoms  shaken  from  a  tree,  and  the 
beautiful  lies  cold  and  motionless,  where  is  life  but  in 
that  heart  which  can  say,  "  It  is  well !  "  Faith  tri- 
umphs over  bewildered  and  darkened  sight,  and  the 
soul,  instinctively  suggesting  all  beautiful  images, 
sings  the  sweet  dirge  with  exultant  hope :  — 
«  Now  like  a  dew-drop  shrined 
Within  a  crystal  stone, 

Thou'rt  safe  in  heaven,  my  dove, 

Safe  with  the  source  of  love, 
The  everlasting  one. 


RELIGION   IS   LIFE.  837 

There  is  no  event  of  life  wliicli  may  not  derive  a  higher 
and  more  satisfying  interest  from  the  associations  of 
religion  as  I  have  defnied  it ;  and  it  was  becanse  of 
this  that  onr  Saviour  said,  '•  Seek  first  the  kingdom 
of  God  and  his  righteonsness." 

We  may  speak  of  life's  occasions  by  speaking  of 
the  individual  man  and  his  various  powers,  and  ask, 
what  faculty  was  ever  improved  by  irrcligion  ?  What 
sense,  what  appetite,  what  desire,  what  propensity, 
was  ever  made  a  greater  inlet  to  happiness  by  sin  ? 
What  gift  of  mind  or  grace  of  person  was  ever  glori- 
fied by  neglect  of  God  ?  0  nothing  has  bewildered 
more  than  the  vain  talk  of  the  pleasures  of  sin  !  They 
are  all  ignoble,  transcient,  destructive ;  and  man  be- 
comes great  only  as  he  refuses  to  accept  them  even 
though  the  desert  is  before  him.  It  is  sad  to  think 
how  long  men  suffer  before  they  learn  this  truth,  for 
there  is  no  martyrdom  like  that  of  pleasure.  Lord 
Chesterfield  confessed  it  where  he  said,  ''  I  have  en- 
joyed all  the  pleasures  of  the  world,  and  consequently 
know  their  futility,  and  do  not  regret  their  loss.  I 
appraise  them  at  their  real  value,  which  in  truth,  is 
very  low ;  whereas  those  who  have  not  experienced 
them,  always  over-rate  them.  They  only  see  their 
gay  outside,  and  are  dazzled  by  their  glare.  But  I 
have  been  behind  the  scenes  ;  I  have  seen  all  the 
coarse  pulleys  and  dirty  ropes,  which  move  and  ex- 
hibit the  gaudy  machinery.  I  have  seen  and  smelt 
the  tallow  candles  which  illuminate  the  whole  deco- 
ration, to  the  astonishment  and  admiration  of  the 
ignorant  multitude.  When  I  reflect  upon  what  I 
29 


66q  religion  is  life. 

have  seen,  and  what  I  have  heard  and  done,  I  can 
hardly  persuade  myself  that  all  that  frivolous  hurry 
and  bustle  and  pleasure  of  the  world  had  any  reality  ; 
but  I  look  upon  all  that  has  passed  as  one  of  those 
romantic  dreams  which  opium  commonly  occasions  ; 
and  I  do  by  no  means  wish  to  repeat  the  nauseous 
dose  for  the  sake  of  the  fugitive  dream."  And  so 
with  Byron,  who  owned  that  after  the  most  careful 
recollection  of  his  experience,  he  could  recal  only 
eleven  days  of  happiness  which  he  could  wish  to 
live  over  again.  These  were  men  of  great  gifts ;  but 
how  in  contrast  do  they  stand  in  the  presence  of  those 
who  tell  us  of  long  years  of  happiness  —  of  lives  into 
whose  depths  run  streams  of  ever  increasing  joy  — 
whose  souls  are  rich  with  remembered  bliss,  and  who 
are  grateful  for  the  thought  that  memory  is  immor- 
tal !  Ah,  that  is  a  foolish  choice  that  seeks  to  defeat 
God,  —  that  makes  life  a  frivolous  thing,  and  its  best 
remembrance  but  as  the  false  show  of  the  theatre  ; 
while  to  the  religious  man,  life  is  rather  as  the  ascen- 
sion of  science  amid  the  firmament,  beauty  and  glory 
ever  enlarging  their  boundary,  and  the  dim  perspec- 
tive to  be  radiant  soon  with  the  newly  discovered  stars. 
The  one  is  but  gilded  vapor  ;  the  other  is  communion 
with  the  risen  Christ. 

Not  more  truly  is  there  something  folded  up  in  the 
bud  that  demands  light  and  heat  and  moisture  for  its 
perfect  unfolding  and  its  fragrant  breathing,  than  there 
is  folded  up  with  every  power  and  faculty  of  the  soul 
a  demand  for  religion  as  the  condition  of  its  best  and 
happiest   exercise.     That   a  man,  or  woman,  might 


RELIGION   IS   LIFE.  339 

know  this,  were  more  to  me  than  the  highest  gifts 
within  the  power  of  eartli  or  empires  to  bestow.  It 
woiihl  open  the  soul  to  the  grandeur  of  its  nature,  to 
the  illimitable  range  of  the  thought,  to  the  suljlime 
prospects  of  progressive  effort,  the  loftier  reaches  oi 
aspiration  and  prayer ;  and  the  heart  would  confess 
that  after  all  wishing  and  hoping,  there  was  no  greater 
need  than  of  religion  as  life.  The  saddest  confessions 
have  been  of  those  minds  that  tried  to  know  every- 
thing but  Christianity,  and  their  lamentation  has 
come  to  us  like  the  wail  of  some  lost  spirit  among  the 
stars. 

That  religion  is  life,  let  the  history  of  man's  baffled 
or  successful  efforts  for  reform  attest.  Men  have 
found  abuses  leagued  Avith  the  church  and  upheld  by 
those  who  claimed  all  tlie  religion,  and  blinded  by  this 
union  and  deceived  by  this  pretension,  the  church  has 
been  denounced  and  religion  deemed  a  tyrant.  But 
only  as  a  religious  spirit  has  sprung  up  and  expressed 
itself,  has  society  been  made  to  listen  to  the  reformer. 
If  any  imagine  there  can  be  any  alliance  between  infi- 
delity and  religion,  let  them  read  history  and  see  what 
the  past  has  been.  Reform  is  a  great  ordinance  of 
God,  but  only  by  a  godly  spirit  can  it  be  administered. 
It  is  for  want  of  that  spirit  that  godly  words  are  so 
often  vain.  No  momentum  is  given  them  from  the 
heart,  and  therefore  they  fall  as  bubbles,  and  not  as 
seed  that  have  the  life  of  mighty  harvests  Avithin  them. 
The  words  of  Christ  must  come  from  a  Christ-like 
soul,  to  do  the  work  they  accomplished  when  he  ut- 
tered them.     "  Never  man  spake  like  this  man,"  be- 


'?40  RELIGION  IS  LIFE. 

cause  never  man  lived  as  he  lived,  nor  felt  as  he  felt. 
His  sympathies  were  pure  and  circled  the  #orld. 
Without  that  life  which  he  poured  into  his  speech, 
and  that  made  his  words  regenerating  forces,  poor 
demoniac  society  will  cry  out  to  the  pretended  re- 
former, "  Jesus  we  know,  and  Paul  we  know,  but  who 
are  ye  ?"  Never,  never,  0  man,  that  weepest  over  the 
evils  around  thee,  —  never  forget  the  Redeemer's 
words  to  the  disciples  who  mourned  that  they  could  not 
relieve  a  certain  demoniac.  "  This  kind,"  said  Jesus, 
"  only  goeth  out  by  prayer  and  fasting  ;"  intimating 
to  them  the  religious  preparation  needed  for  the  great 
work  of  religion  ;  —  like  the  poet  who  drinks  in  the 
inspiration  of  the  stars,  the  roll  of  the  ocean,  the  sol- 
emn grandeur  of  the  forest,  the  awful  stillness  of  the 
mountain,  and  then  pours  out  the  burden  of  his  own 
soul  in  rapt  numbers  of  immortal  verse.  "  I  would 
have,"  said  the  great  German  poet,  "  the  head  of  Ju- 
piter Olympus  always  before  me."  To  him  there  was 
inspiration  in  such  an  embodiment  of  intellectual 
greatness  ;  but  the  thought  of  the  Christian's  God,  — 
the  remembrance  of  his  glorious  image,  is  better  than 
the  sight  of  the  most  masterly  invoking  from  the 
marble  of  Jupiter  Olympus. 

Yes,  yes,  religion  is  life,  whether  you  consider 
merely  the  needed  restraint  of  appetite  or  the  perfect- 
ing of  society.  It  alone  can  quicken  to  tJie  best  work- 
ing the  powers  of  apprehension  and  appreciation,  and 
let  us  into  that  knowledge  of  things  which  opens  the 
vast  resources  of  happiness.  Poetry  is  life.  Music  is 
life.     They  have  an  experience  of  their  own.     Any 


RELIGION   IS   LIFE.  341 

thing  is  life  tliat  gives  a  better  and  higher  activity  to 
our  powers ;  but  it  is  only  religion,  tlie  religion  of 
Jesus,  that  conies  home  to  our  wliole  being  and 
searches  for  every  sensilnlity  and  feeling,  every  attri- 
bute of  our  mental  nature,  and  touches  it  witli  a 
quickening  power,  giving  a  new  sense  of  ])erce})tion, 
so  that  there  is  indeed  a  newness  given  to  all  things. 
We  lie  in  deadness,  we  are  weary  and  restless,  be- 
cause we  are  irreligious.  All  that  we  have  to  contend 
with,  truly  rehgious  men  have  conquered.  They  have 
found  life  where  we  would  have  died.  And  nothing 
is  more  needful  for  us  than  to  pause  and  ask,  what 
is  our  life  ?  In  what  do  we  put  our  trust  for  happi- 
ness ?  From  what  sources  do  we  expect  our  chief 
satisfaction  ?  We  are  encompassed  with  dangers  ;  we 
are  environed  with  duties.  The  latter  can  alone  shut 
us  in  from  the  others ;  for  he  who  follows  duty,  fol- 
lows no  meteor  light,  no  flashing  beacon,  no  flame  of 
drift-wood  fired  on  the  shore,  no  burning  of  chaff  on 
the  hill-side ;  but  the  steady  illumination  of  heavenly 
brightness  in  the  soul. 

What  we  need  is  this ;  —  religion  made  unto  us 
life  ;  and  in  the  highest  arid  most  blessed  sense  this  is 
the  case  with  every  soul  into  whom  Jesus  is  made,  — 
not  a  mystic  feeling,  a  transient  glow  of  emotion,  a 
rapture  and  a  dream,  —  but  "  wisdom  and  righteous- 
ness, sanctification  and  redemption."  This  is  some- 
thing real.  It  releases  from  sin ;  it  directs  in  right 
dohig ;  it  separates  the  whole  being  to  God ;  it  gives 
the  special  salvation  of  the  sincere  believer.  For  this 
it  is  better  to  strive  than  for  honor,  or  station,  or 
29* 


342  RELIGION   IS  LIFE. 

wealth,  far  it  is  our  life.  That  we  might  hare  it,  and 
more  abundantly  with  the  increase  of  years,  Christ 
came,  and  lived,  and  died,  and  rose  again.  "  For  if, 
when  we  were  enemies,  we  were  reconciled  to  God  by 
the  death  of  his  Son,  much  more  being  reconciled,  we 
shall  be  saved  by  his  life,"  said  the  great  apostle.  0 
that  that  life  might  flow  into  us,  like  the  renewing 
influences  that  are  now  abroad  and  that  soon  will 
wake  music  in  the  forest  and  beauty  by  the  river  side, 
and  spread  over  hill  and  valley  the  promises  of  sprhig. 


SEEM ON    XXXIV. 


IMITATING   CHRIST. 

Christ  also  suffered  for  uSjfLEAViNG?  us  an  example  that  t« 

SHOtTLD  FOLLOW  HIS  STEPS. — 1  Teter  ii.  21. 

The""sufferings  of  Christ  are  usually  dwelt  upon  by 
thej>ulpit  to  move  our  sympathies  and  to  prompt  us 
to  reciprocal  love.  Such  a  use  of  them  is  right,  but 
there  is  something  for  our  attention  beyond  this. 
The  text  shows  us  what  that  is,  for  therein  Peter 
speaks  of  the  example  of  Christ  and  the  duty  of  fol- 
lowing in  liis  steps.  Not  tliat  we  can  suffer  as  Christ 
suffered,  for  we  do  not  and  cannot  hold  the  relations 
he  held  ;  —  times  and  circumstances  are  different ;  — 
duty  is  a  different  thing,  making  demands  such  as 
would  not  have  been  made  in  his  day  on  earth.  But 
his  example  is  all-sufRcient  because  of  the  spirit  ex- 
pressed —  the  spirit  of  self-denial  and  love,  the  spirit 
of  consecration  to  the  will  of  God. 

But  before  pursuing  the  topic  of  The  Imitation  of 
Christ,  it  may  be  well  to  pause  a  few  moments  to  con- 
sider an  important  fact  intimated  in  this  call  to  imi- 
tate our  Master. 


344  IMITATING   CHRIST. 

Before  we  can  be  encouraged  to  take  up  hopefully 
and  cheerfully  a  line  of  action,  we  must  be  convinced 
that  we  have  the  ability  to  do  the  work  employed. 
We  are  kept  back  from  greatness  mostly  by  want  of 
confidence  in  our  powere  of  achievement,  and  the 
question  therefore  is  always  important,  Have  we  an 
aptitude  for  the  work  to  which  we  are  called  ?  Can 
we  succeed  if  we  attempt  ?  He  has  a  happy  influ- 
ence over  us  who  breathes  into  us  the  spirit  of  hope, 
—  who  enlarges  our  confidence,  animates  our  endeav- 
ors, and  presents  the  ideal  excellence  as  something 
that  wins  us  to  successful  effort.  Therefore  the  inti- 
mation in  the  text  is  worth  much  —  the  intimation 
that  we  liave  ability  to  imitate  Jesus  —  to  follow  in 
his  footsteps. 

The  call  to  such  effort  implies  the  ability  to  make 
the  effort.  We  have  all  kindred  natures  with  Christ. 
We  have  the  same  moral  elements,  and  his  exaltation 
to  the  pre-eminence  in  all  things  does  not  prevent  a 
like  action  of  moral  energy  in  us  as  that  by  which  he 
achieved  the  glory  of  perfected  holiness.  We  can 
imitate  Him  as  he  imitated  the  Father,  and  by  imitat- 
ing him  we  also  imitate  the  Father,  because  of  the 
unity  of  the  spirit  that  rules  in  all  goodness  of  life 
and  conduct.  To  many  the  whole  ot  duty  seems  to 
be  to  adore  rather  than  to  imitate  Christ.  They  have 
no  confidence  in  their  powers  farther  than  that,  and 
religion  is  to  them  rather  extacy  and  emotion,  rap- 
tures of  feeling  and  ascription  of  praise  to  Christ, 
than  the  putting  forth  of  moral  energy  to  make  his 
virtues  theirs.     But  the  call  in  the  text  is  decisive. 


IMITATING  CHRIST.  845 

The  sufferings  of  Jesiis  were  not  substituted  punish- 
ments, but  the  endurance  of  a  soul  tliat  lived  a  life 
to  be  copied,  that  we  might  follow  in  his  steps. 
It  is  a  glorious  testimony  to  tlie  greatness  of  our  ca- 
pacities that  is  here  given.  We  do  not  call  all  men 
to  follow  in  the  steps  of  the  poet  or  painter,  the  mas- 
ter of  music  or  sculpture,  and  why  do  we  not  ?  Be- 
cause we  do  not  recognize  in  them  the  ability  to  do 
so  —  the  aptitude  for  such  pursuits.  The  power  of 
one  man  must  be  the  symmetrical  tree  he  has  reared  ; 
the  music  of  another  must  be  frozen  in  the  architec- 
ture of  the  house  he  has  builded ;  the  painting  of 
another  must  be  in  the  scene  where  the  steamship  and 
the  rail  car  present  the  picture  of  modern  civilization 
and  progress  ;  and  the  sculpture  of  yet  another  must 
be  found  in  the  characters  he  has  moulded,  and  that 
stand  forth  in  the  proportions  of  virtuous  intelligence, 
with  the  front  and  bearing  that  rival  ancient  art. 
Why  is  it  then  that  all  are  called  to  the  imitation  of 
Christ,  if  it  be  not  true  that  by  such  a  call  the  ulti- 
mation  is  given  of  ability  or  aptitude  to  imitate  him  ? 
There  is  no  mockery  in  tliis  call ;  and  if  there  be  not, 
then  we  are  spirits  like  Christ  in  the  endoAvments  of 
our  nature.  He  is  allied  to  us  and  we  to  him.  There 
is  but  one  family  in  earth  and  heaven,  and  folded  up 
in  all  of  us  are  powers  by  which  we  may  astonish 
ourselves  and  advance  towards  the  excellence  of 
Clirist  in  life  and  character. 

But  the  text  suggests  something  more  for  our  com- 
fort, and  that  something  more  is  given  in  the  life  of 
Him  who  wrote  our  text.     It  was  Peter  who  speaks 


346  IMITATING   CHRIST. 

thus  of  Jesus,  and  when  we  picture  Peter  as  Christ 
called  him,  and  as  we  mark  his  career,  do  we  not  feel 
that  he  presents  like  passions,  frailties,  and  aspira- 
tions with  ourselves  ?  We  do  ;  but  shall  we  deem  a 
new  nature  possessed  when  we  see  him  another  char- 
acter, and  hear  his  thrilling  words  that  sound  like  the 
call  of  the  bugle  to  the  charge  ?  0,  no  !  There  is 
the  same  nature  differently  ruled.  And  so  where  we 
see  the  changes  wrought  by  the  faith  of  the  Gospel, 
we  can  claim  for  our  encouragement  the  likeness  to 
the  nature  that  exhibits  heroic  virtue,  as  we  were 
made  to  own  the  likeness  of  our  nature  when  we  be- 
held the  sins  and  weaknesses  of  the  former  state  of 
that  converted  man.  Too  little  is  thought  of  this, 
and  the  consequence  is,  we  are  more  easily  discour- 
aged than  encouraged ;  we  think  more  of  the  weak- 
nesses and  failures  of  our  race  than  of  the  strength 
and  successes  of  the  great  and  good.  We  admire 
and  praise  exalted  virtues,  ratlier  than  learn  to  imi- 
tate it ;  and  when  we  are  wakened  to  some  moral 
effort,  our  aim  is  rather  to  be  as  good  as  the  average 
character  about  us,  than  to  rise  to  some  likeness  to 
the  grandest  specimens  of  virtue  in  our  age,  or  the 
greatnesss  of  Him  who  suffered  for  us,  leaving  us  an 
example,  that  we  should  follow  in  his  steps. 

I  took  up,  the  other  day,  a  book  of  fiction,  that  is 
equally  the  delight  of  the  child  and  the  man,  and 
opened  it  where  a  picture  represented  the  surprise  of 
Eobinson  Crusoe  at  discovering  the  print  of  a  man's 
foot  on  the  sea  shore !  A  new  existence  through  a 
new  hope  opened  to  the  desolate  one  at  that  sight ;  and 


IMITATING   CHRIST,  347 

SO  would  it  be  witli  us,  morally,  were  we  to  discover  for 
the  first  time  the  footsteps  of  Jesus.  Familiarity  has 
dulled  our  sense  of  appreciation,  and  the  exam})le  of 
Jesus  does  not  have  the  influence  over  our  lives  that 
it  shovild  have. 

But  allowing  the  abiltiy  to  imitate  Christ,  and 
seeing  this  abiltiy  in  the  examples  of  goodness  in 
eminent  Christians  who  have  risen  from  low  es- 
tates, what  is  it  to  imitate  Jesus  —  to  follow  in 
his  steps.  We  are  called  and  annointcd  to  no 
special  work  in  the  line  of  Divine  Providence  —  we 
feel  no  spirit  of  greatness  and  power  brooding  over 
us  —  no  miracles  attended  our  birth  —  no  stars  drop- 
ped a  peculiar  light  around  our  cradle,  and  we  have 
no  alliance  to  our  race  as  leader  and  commander. 
How  is  Christ  an  example  to  us  ?  I  answer.  He  is 
an  example  as  God  is,  by  the  Spirit  of  His  life.  Jesus 
could  not  be  God.  The  sceptre  of  the  universe  must 
rest  only  in  the  hand  of  Jehovah.  He  will  not  give  his 
glory  to  another.  His  work  is  not  man's,  and  yet  with 
a  majestic  beauty  of  thought  Jesus  said,  "  My  Fatlier 
worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work."  "  My  Father  !  " 
there  comes  the  idea  of  kindred  natures  again,  with 
all  that  glory  of  possibilities  that  comes  gathering  and 
sweeping  over  the  soul  whenever  we  read,  "  Be  ye 
perfect  as  your  Father  hi  heaven  is  perfect."  "■  Be 
ye  followers  of  God  as  dear  children."  It  is  the 
spirit  of  Christ's  life  that  we  want.  Our  wills  must 
be  swayed  as  was  his,  by  the  moral  affections.  We 
must  live  for  great  ends.  We  must  make  life  liave  a 
grand  meaning.  We  must  put  faith  in  our  capaci- 
ties.    We  must  pray  and  wrestle,  meditate  and  study, 


348  IMITATING  CHRIST, 

live  ill  tlie  light  of  great  examples  of  lieroism,  and 
cultivate  the  energy  of  the  martyr  and  the  peace  of 
the  soul  that  waits  when  patient  waiting  is  the  sever- 
est labor.  We  may  be  thus  one  with  Christ,  as  Christ 
was  one  with  God.  To  this  we  are  called.  We 
speak  of  Christ  in  our  sphere  of  duty  as  he  spake  of 
God  in  his ;  for  in  that  limit  in  which  he  is  our  ex- 
ample and  imitable,  he  lived  what  he  taught.  What 
he  spake  of  the  love  of  God,  of  his  interest  in  the 
sinful,  of  the  greatness  of  duty,  and  of  the  necessity 
of  rising  above  the  world  in  the  light  of  immortality, 
he  acted.  He  loved  mankind  ;  he  mingled  with  sin- 
ners ;  he  took  part  in  all  the  liabilities  of  the  affec- 
tions ;  he  wept  with  the  bereaved,  and  he  walked  the 
earth  with  his  soul  in  heaven.  His  life  shames  the 
recluse  as  it  shames  the  worldling ;  it  rebukes  a  nar- 
row love  as  it  repudiates  selfishness ;  and  whenever 
the  heart  grows  cold  towards  humanity,  when  sacri- 
fice seems  unpropitious,  and  the  spirit  is  ready  to 
yield  all  hope  for  man,  we  have  only  to  turn  to  the 
inspired  story  of  our  Saviour's  life  and  find  refresh- 
ment. 

The  possibility  and  the  true  method  of  imitating 
the  example  of  Christ  is  in  nothing  seen  better  than 
in  this  :  that  the  disheartened  reformer  turning  to  the 
pages  of  the  Evangelists,  finds  his  courage  renewed, 
and  whatever  may  be  his  work  of  philanthropy,  he 
turns  to  it  with  a  new  zeal  and  endurance.  0,  could 
we  group  to  our  imagination  around  the  New  Testa- 
ment story  of  Jesus  the  representatives  of  the  various 
benevolent  enterprises  of  our  age,  we  should  see  how 


IMITATING   CHRIST.  S49 

each  draws  from  the  same  life  the  energy  neccled. 
Follow  them  to  their  spheres  of  labor,  and  you  would 
have  an  illustration  of  Paul's  words  —  "There  are 
diversities  of  gifts,  but  the  same  spirit "  —  tlie  spirit 
of  alliance  to  God,  of  devotion  to  man,  of  consecra- 
tion to  the  ministry  of  love  in  Christ. 

Here,  then,  is  our  duty — -to  make  ours,  in  our 
spheres  of  daily  life,  "  the  spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus ;"  and  to  do  this  we  may  ask.  How  would 
Christ  do,  were  he  in  my  circumstances,  had  he  my 
wealth,  or  knew  he  my  poverty  ;  were  he  surrounded 
with  the  petty  annoyances  that  disturb  my  life,  or 
were  my  leisure  and  retirement  his  ?  How  shall  I 
act  that  the  same  mind  that  was  in  him  may  be  in 
me  ?  Wherever  this  plea  is  uttered  with  hungering 
and  thirsting  for  the  return,  tlie  return  will  come. 
The  commonest  duties  of  life  will  have  a  beauty  im- 
parted to  them  by  the  fact  that  they  can  minister  to 
the  soul's  possession  of  the  spirit  of  Christ.  A  cup 
of  cold  water  given  in  the  name  of  a  disciple  —  given 
from  a  Christian  sympathy  with  want,  or  sickness,  or 
affliction,  shall  cool  not  only  the  receiver,  but  shall 
be  blessed  to  the  giver,  soothing  the  fever  of  the 
world  that  lies  too  much  upon  the  soul. 

To  imitate  Christ  is  not  to  do  only  great  things. 
Blessed  are  they  that  can  do  great  things  for  Jesus ; 
whose  wealth  or  talents,  whose  influence  or  power, 
gives  them  the  means  of  waking  the  world  to  wonder 
as  some  new  and  mighty  enterprise  is  begun,  or  the 
lofty  walls  of  some  noble  and  philanthropic  institu- 
tion arise  ;  but  the  eye  of  the  great  exemplar  marks 
30 


350  IMITATING   CHRIST. 

lowly  and  obscure  efforts  for  his  cause,  and  he  rises 
to  applaud  the  gift  of  the  widow's  two  mites  because 
the  most  of  sacrifice  or  self-denial  was  expressed  in 
that  deed.  Blessed  be  that  greatness  that  conde- 
scends to  be  served  by  so  small  a  gift ;  that  heeds  the 
cry  of  the  wayside  beggar,  and  expresses  his  sympa- 
thy for  the  heavy  laden  and  weary  everywhere.  Glo- 
rious that  greatness,  that,  acting  through  a  nature 
common  to  xis  all,  has  left  plain  footsteps  to  mark  the 
way  to  glory.  Let  us  tread  in  that  way ;  let  us  live 
to  the  great  ends  to  which  the  possibilities  of  our  na- 
ture and  kindred  with  Christ  calls  us,  and 

"  Departing,  leave  behind  us 

Footsteps  on  the  sands  of  time — 
Footsteps  that  perhaps  another, 

SaiHng  o'er  life's  solemn  main^ 
A  forlorn  and  shipwrecked  brother. 

Seeing,  may  take  heart  again.** 


SERMON    XXXIV. 


REUNION. 

A  LITTLE  WHILE,   ATTD  YE  SHALL    NOT    SEE    ME  ;   InD    AGAIN    A    LITTLK 
WHILE,  AKD    ITE    SHALL    SEE    ME,    BECAUSE    I    GO    TO    THE    FATHER. 

John  xvi.  16. 

I  purpose  to  employ  my  text  as  tlie  speech  which 
the  dying  Christian  may  employ  for  the  comfort  of 
the  surviving  friends,  as  it  was  spoken  by  our  Saviour 
to  his  disciples  :  "  A  little  while,  and  ye  shall  not  see 
me ;  and  again  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me, 
because  I  go  to  the  Father."  To  the  ear  of  faith, 
the  dying  do  thus  speak  to  us,  as  they  leave  us  for  the 
realms  of  light  and  glory ;  and  it  is  awful  to  think 
how  literal  may  be  this  language  —  "A  little  ichile, 
and  ye  shall  not  see  me .'"  Alas !  for  lis  so  weak  of 
faith,  and  so  little  trained  to  mount  the  heights  of 
mystery  and  see  into  the  Canaan  of  hope  and  trust. 
Alas  !  for  us  that  so  brief  may  be  the  little  while  that 
may  intervene  between  our  seeing  and  not  seeing  the 
beloved!  At  the  evening  repast  they  may  sit  with 
us.  The  light  may  cast  illumination  on  their  forms, 
and  their  forms  shadows  on  the  walls,  and  their  voi- 
ces blend  in  the  pleasant  converse  of  the  hour,  and 


852  EEUNION. 

the  "  good  night "  sound  as  ever  on  the  ear  at  part- 
ing ;  and  what  does  the  morrow  prove  ?  The  sun- 
shine has  no  such  pleasant  task  for  us  as  the  eyening 
light,  and  the  air  is  not  moved  to  make  vocal  the  love 
that  was  the  music  of  the  morning  —  the  lark's  carol 
in  onr  home.  "  As  a  dream  when  one  awaketh " 
seems  the  whole.  What  a  little  while,  and  what  a 
tremendous  change  !  What  a  difference  between  the 
seeing  and  seeing  not !  And  ahnost  as  brief  seem 
the  weeks  or  months  during  which  a  dear  child  or 
friend  has  wasted  away.  We  may  have  watched  them 
day  by  day,  but  the  intensity  of  our  anxiety,  the 
rising  and  falling  of  hope,  the  alternations  of  the 
triumphs  of  nature  and  then  of  the  disease,  and  a 
thousand  undefinable  things,  so  absorb  our  attention 
that  we  hardly  mind  the  changes  of  the  seasons,  the 
passing  of  winter  and  the  budding  and  blooming  of 
spring,  and  are  only  awakened  by  the  death  that 
seems  to  be  out  of  time  —  something  that  ought  not 
to  be  —  a  continued  triumph  of  winter,  as  it  were, 
amid  the  greenness  and  melodies  of  spring. 

But  life's  mysteries  are  the  awakeners  of  faith. 
They  lead  us  to  be  like  the  child  looking  through  the 
gloom  of  the  evening  after  the  stars,  till  at  length, 
discii)iined  and  chastened  in  spirit,  we  submit  to  the 
Almighty  and  the  All-merciful,  and,  gazing  at  the 
stars,  our  thoughts  move  our  lips  at  will,  and  we  say 
to  the  departed, 

"  Oh,  if  amid  these  orbs  that  roll, 

Thou  hast  at  times  a  thought  of  me, 
For  every  one  that  stirs  thy  soul, 

A  thousand  stir  mine  own  for  thee." 


REUNION.  353 

How  sweet  is  it  in  those  hours  to  think  that  though 
so  brief  was  the  parting  time,  yet  brief  also  is  the 
time  that  intervenes  ere  we  sliall  meet  again.  "  A 
little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me."  Briefer  and  more 
brief  becomes  the  delay  as  our  hearts  give  hospitality 
to  thoughts  of  heaven,  and  we  live  in  daily  commun- 
ion with  the  celestials.  Then  the  Saviour's  words,  as 
the  words  of  the  departed,  will  come  to  us  with 
greater  moral  significance.  Let  us  yield  ourselves  to 
the  suggestions  of  these  words. 

To  go  unto  the  Father  is  the  lot  of  all  souls  born 
into  this  lower  sphere  of  human  existence  —  this 
chrysalis  state  of  the  spirit.  Not  that  we  are  here 
awaT/  from  God,  for  in  him  we  live,  and  move,  and 
have  our  being,  and  he  is  not  far  from  every  one  of 
us.  But  nearness  of  locality  is  not  always  nearness 
of  soul,  hence  we  are  said  to  leave  God,  and  he  to 
leave  us.  Souls  may  more  truly  live  near  each  other, 
when  oceans  separate  them,  than  when  they  were 
under  the  same  roof,  or  met  every  day.  It  is  because 
of  this  that  absence  endears.  The  heart  learns  to 
love  from  companionship  of  soul,  and  where  this  is 
not  there  is  no  true  love.  A  soul  is  most  truly  going 
towards  another  as  it  enters  into  acquaintance  with 
that  other's  interior  being  —  with  the  realities  of  feel- 
ing and  affection  —  the  purposes  and  aims  of  that 
other.  So  with  the  soul  and  its  going  to  the  Father. 
It  is  to  go  to  more  intimate  acquaintance  and  com- 
munion with  God ;  to  new  unfoldiiigs  of  the  divine 
purposes ;  to  the  holy  of  holies,  where  the  justifica- 
tion of  the  world  is  seen  to  be  complete  in  the  econo- 
30* 


354  EEUNION. 

my  of  redemption.  Jesus  was  always  with  God,  and 
God  was  always  with  him.  "  I  am  not  alone,"  said 
he,  "  for  the  Father  is  with  me."  And  though  sad 
to  our  sight  seemed  his  low  estate  when  he  had  not 
where  to  lay  his  head,  yet  none  walked  the  streets  of 
Jerusalem,  or  went  up  to  the  temple,  with  such  per- 
fect and  glorious  companionship  as  did  Jesus.  If  the 
eyes  of  the  people  could  be  anointed,  as  were  those  of 
the  prophet's  servant  on  the  mountain,  they  would 
have  seen  a  sight  before  which  the  processions  of 
priests,  the  retinue  of  state  pride,  would  have  been 
but  as  the  spangles  on  a  robe  in  contrast  with  the 
stars  of  heaven.  Jesus  was  always  with  the  Father. 
But  what  could  he  mean,  then  ?  is  the  enquiry  as  we 
read  of  his  saying  he  was  going  to  the  Father.  1  an- 
swer, he  alluded  to  new  relations  and  offices  that  he 
was  to  hold,  for  he  became  a  mediator  only  when  he 
had  died  and  was  raised  to  heaven.  He  was  able  to 
open  new  views  of  the  future ;  to  inspire  souls  to 
teach  plainly  what  he  had  taught  in  parables,  for  his 
death  and  resurrection  were  to  furnish  new  keys  to 
open  the  mysteries  of  the  divine  will,  and  show  to 
the  humblest  Christian  what  kings  and  prophets  died 
without  beholding  —  things  which  the  angels  desired 
to  look  into,  and  which  gave  even  to  them  new  mani- 
festations of  God. 

And  what  a  beautiful  thouglit  is  this,  that  when 
Jesus  spake  of  going  into  eternity  he  called  it  going 
to  the  Father!  So  when  referring  to  his  ascension, 
he  said,  to  Mary,  "  I  ascend  unto  my  Father  and  your 
Father ;  my  God  and  your  God."     This  idea  opens  at 


REUNION.  355 

once  to  our  view  the  great  and  consoling  fact,  that 
the  fatherly  providence  of  God  is  over  all  worlds,  all 
spheres  of  being.  Like  the  Christian  dying  away 
from  his  native  land,  the  sovil  can  say,  "  All  countries 
are  my  Father's  lands,  and  in  all  countries  I  am  still 
his  child ;"  and  so  with  the  poet  he  may  say, 

*"  I  cannot  go 
Where  universal  love  smiles  nut  around." 

Yes,  eternity,  as  time,  affords  spheres  of  existence 
equally  under  the  providence  of  our  Father.  This  is 
the  beautiful  teaching  of  Jesus  and  his  Gospel.  To 
die  is  to  go  nearer  to  the  Father,  not  away  from  him. 
It  is  to  go  to  nearer  and  clearer  views  of  his  purpo- 
ses ;  to  catch  new  insight  into  the  eternal  commenda- 
tions of  holiness ;  to  be  won  to  the  service  of  the 
creator  and  benefactor  of  all.  It  is  such  a  going  to 
God  as  cannot  be  enjoyed  here  where  an  earthly  body 
is  a  veil  through  which  the  sovil  must  look  dimly  at 
the  things  of  immortality  ;  here  where  earthly  appe- 
tites, and  wants,  and  attractions,  more  or  less  engage 
the  attention  of  all,  and  force  even  a  Paul  to  desire 
to  depart,  that  in  a  higher  sense  he  might  be  with 
Christ. 

This  thought  gives  us  a  beautiful  conception  of 
what  befalls  the  departed :  they  go  to  the  Father  as 
they  could  not  go  here.  Flesh  and  blood  could  not 
enter  where  they  have  entered.  And  should  not  this 
satisfy  us?  Why  ask  for  details,  when  enough  is 
given  in  the  great  fact,  that  our  dead  go  to  the 
Father  ?  not  a  Father,  but  the  Father.     Daily  some- 


t56  REUNION. 

times  we  ask  concerning  an  invalid  absent  from  home, 
and  at  length  we  are  told,  "  She  has  gone  to  her 
father ;"  and  though  she  has  gone  to  but  an  earthly 
home  and  a  mortal  parent,  what  a  satisfaction  steals 
quickly  to  the  heart,  and  involuntarily  we  give  thanks 
that  it  is  so.  We  aid  the  stranger  to  thus  go.  No 
plea  is  stronger  than  the  wish  to  go  home  to  die  ;  and 
when  the  going  is  to  a  home  where  life  is  to  be  com- 
municated ;  where  immortality  is  to  be  bestowed, 
why  should  we  not  be  satisfied  ? 

In  the  light  of  this,  how  pleasant  is  the  thought  of 
the  Saviour's  remark  of  the  little  while  of  absence, 
because  he  was  going  to  the  Father  !  A  father  does 
not  withhold  his  children  from  companionship.  He 
delights  in  all  means  by  which,  though  separated  from 
sight,  they  commune  in  soul.  And  there  are  more 
means  than  we  dream  of,  given  to  us  to  feel  the  pres- 
ence of  the  departed,  and  to  be,  as  it  were,  with 
them ;  to  have  them  with  us,  companions  in  solitude 
—  friends  of  the  soul. 

But  all  this  companionship  may  not  at  times  satisfy 
us.  We  ask  for  something  more  than  "  blessings 
from  their  lips  of  air ;"  something  that  shall  not  re- 
quire abstractedness  from  the  real  world  around  us  ; 
and  this  Ave  have  in  the  Gospel  hope  of  the  reunion 
of  friends  in  the  immortal  state.  "  A  little  while, 
and  ye  shall  see  me,"  said  Jesus,  and  they  did  see 
him,  and  know  him,  and  never  lost  the  feeling  that 
he  was  with  them,  and  would  bless  them  hereafter. 

To  many  this  re-union  of  the  separated  by  death 
is  all  uncertainty ;  but  to  such  let  me  say  — 


REUNION.  357 

There  is  certainly  nothing  against  it  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. 

It  is  implied  in  the  hope  given  to  soothe  sorrow, 
for  we  mourn,  not  because  we  believe  the  (load  are 
annihilated  —  we  feel  they  are  somewhere,  sometimes 
they  seem  very  near  —  but  we  mourn  because  we  see 
them  not ;  we  have  no  visible  signs  of  their  presence  ; 
we  can  do  nothing  for  them,  and  camiot  pour  into 
their  souls  the  emotions  of  our  own,  and  receive  a 
response.  Life's  great  joy  is  in  expressing  by  words, 
looks,  things  and  acts,  our  love,  and  receiving  these 
manifestations  of  love.  Death  breaks  all  this  up.  It 
is  like  an  arbitrary  power  that  forces  a  discontinuance 
of  a  correspondence  that  was  the  chief  joy  of  our  ex- 
istence. We  ask  of  death  to  give  up  this  tyranny ; 
to  let  the  chain  of  communication  be  linked  again  ; 
to  let  the  fire  of  love  fly  across  the  living  wires  of 
the  soul  and  telegraph  thought  from  heart  to  heart. 
The  hope  that  does  not  promote  re-union  is  no  hope 
for  the  li\dng  heart.  It  asks  us  to  be  satisfied  with 
the.  simple  fact  of  existence,  when  so  long  as  we 
know  a  friend  lives,  the  great  wish  is  to  meet  that 
friend ;  to  look  at  him,  to  talk  with  him,  to  see  him 
smile,  to  hear  his  voice,  to  feel  his  breath  upon  our 
cheek.  And  the  Gospel  that  was  given  to  satisfy  tlie 
affections  speaks  to  each  as  Jesus  to  Martha  —  "  Tliy 
brother  shall  live  again."  Not  simply  Lazarus,  Ijut 
thy  brother. 

Such  a  hope  is  essential  to  any  satisfactory  joy  in 
heaven.  In  any  scene  of  beauty,  or  on  any  occasion 
of  delight,  we  want  the  beloved  to  enjoy  it  with  us. 
Even  if  solitude  is  sweet,  we  want  some  one  to  whom 


358  REUNION. 

we  can  tell  how  sweet  it  is ;  and  then  prayer  seems 
not  half  so  holy  when  we  send  it  up  for  ourselves  as 
when  we  hear  the  beloved  pray,  as  the  peasant  bard 
sang  — 

"  Come  here  to  me,  thou  lass  o'  my  love, 

Come  here  and  kneel  wi'  me ; 
The  morning  is  fu'  o'  the  presence  o'  God, 

An'  I  canna  pray  but  thee." 

Yes,  the  hope  is,  that  in  a  little  while  we  shall  see  the 
loved  again,  but  not  as  we  saw  them  here,  with  the 
liabilities  that  belonged  to  earth.  No  ;  but  as  we  see 
the  spring  bloom  beautifully  into  the  summer;  a 
higher  perfection  of  all  that  delighted ;  the  meaning 
of  every  sweet  promise  made  clearer;  the  blossom 
showing  the  fruit,  and  the  fruit  becoming  golden  to 
our  sight.  ^ 

The  change  is  pre-figured  by  our  experience  respect- 
ing the  dead.  At  first  the  beloved  one  is  gone ;  then 
our  bewilderment  passes,  and  we  go  all  over  the  ter- 
rible past  —  the  days  or  Weeks,  or  it  may  be  but 
hours,  or  even  minutes,  of  the  fatal  sickness  or  strug- 
gles, and  how  awful  this  liability  seems !  Then  the 
past  beyond  the  time  of  sickness  comes  back,  and 
all  the  beauty  of  their  lives  is  recalled,  and  they  are 
with  us  again  as  in  the  happy  days,  when  we  did  not 
dream  of  death  or  sickness.  And  as  by  memory  we 
tlius  travel  back  to  see  our  friends  in  the  beauty  we 
loved,  so  may  we,  by  the  power  of  faith,  travel  on- 
ward to  see  them  clothed  with  more  angelic  loveli- 
ness. A  little  while,  and  we  see  them  not ;  and  again 
a  little  while,  and  we  shall  see  them. 


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